Cleaning With SOAP The Movie: The Man With The Golden Claw
by diamonddust131
Summary: Spies Organized Against Peace should have been finished. It should have been no more thanks to a certain someone. That was the case until a certain man appeared, one hellbent on continuing Scar's work and making sure the world wasn't done suffering SOAP's wrath. The only thing standing is his way is WOOHP, specifically, operatives Sam, Alex, and Clover. Ready or not, it's spy time!
1. Foreword

**A FOREWORD**

Hello. My name is diamonddust131. Of course, if you're reading this story, you already know that. You have probably also garnered this is a sequel to my fanfic _Cleaning With SOAP_. First and foremost, I would like to thank the people who read that one and left me such warm feedback. That story has been without a doubt the most fun I've ever had writing. Totally Spies! is one of my favorite cartoons, and I'm glad I was able to show it some much deserved love with my writing.

Now then, to get to the point. Some of you are probably like, "Didn't you already upload this particular story? Why is it showing up again in my feed?" For those that did follow it and leave reviews, thank you. To answer the question as to what happened, I deleted the original version of _Cleaning With SOAP!: The Movie - The Man With The Golden Claw_. Why? Firstly, it hadn't been updated in almost two years. **Two years.** I have to apologize for that. To be perfectly honest, I lost interest in the series and moved on to other stuff. Real life things also got in the way (financial situations and whatnot. Being an adult sucks).

So, why am I back writing this now? _Cleaning With SOAP!_ was so well-received that it felt like a crime for me to not come back to this and attempt to finish it. I owe it to you all to get this thing done. Why am I bothering to rewrite it? I consider myself a different writer than I was two years ago. While what I had up was alright, it was riddled with errors and a lot of things that just personally got on my nerves. It has also been fun coming back to this and trying to remember all the character's personalities and whatnot. So far, I can say I'm both happy and proud with what I've come up with, so here's hoping you enjoy it too.

I don't usually do these sorts of things for my stories and generally just leave short author's notes, but I wanted to give all of you out there who've been waiting for **some kind** of update to this story some explanation. If you're still with me, thank you for your patience. If you aren't, I don't blame you. I take forever with stuff. But enough beating myself up. I fully plan on finishing this 'movie' no matter how long it takes. I won't say how many parts there are going to be. All I can really ask is for you to stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

tl;dr - I'm finishing this story for sure, but just rewriting it, hence why I deleted the original version and why a new version showed up in your feed. Happy reading.

-diamonddust131


	2. Prologue

**(PROLOGUE) TIME GOES ON**

Had it really only been two months since Spies Organized Against Peace's sudden and devastating attack on the world?

It seemed like just yesterday to most.

Nations around the globe were still picking up the pieces, striving to purge the memory of Scar and his vile group from their consciences. Damages caused by SOAP's actions soared into the trillions, whereas there still remained no definitive count of casualties. All anyone knew was that the sacrifices had been costly. Even so, the survivors agreed they were well worth it if it meant an end to Scar, his dastardly ambitions for world domination, and the most dangerous organization that had ever existed.

The whole experience had been humbling as it was terrifying. Embarrassed and blindsided as well, the leaders of various countries gathered to discuss how best to defend themselves and the world at large in the event another madman like Scar reared their ugly head. Too much faith and reliance had been placed on Jerry Lewis and the World Organization of Human Protection. That much was clear. Individual nations would be tasked with training an elite crop of soldiers better prepared for abrupt chaos. Word of any happenings would be spread like wildfire in order to prevent confusion and speed up evacuation. While WHOOP would still be called upon for their services and advice, the world was no longer keen on placing all their cards in its hand.

In terms of what remained of SOAP, WHOOP rounded up a majority of its henchmen, sending them to a state of the art facility to serve long-term prison sentences. Even that, however, was considered too good for the likes of them, but Jerry refused to punish them any harder, feeling it would simply breed more hatred and distrust in them.

The last thing he or the world needed was another uprising.

SOAP's massive army of androids, meanwhile, was shut down for good. Various nations humored the idea of employing them for defense or even servitude, while others argued there would be no fully controlling such powerful weapons. Jerry agreed, personally seeing to their destruction.

As for Scar, the mastermind himself, his fate remained unknown. WHOOP managed to pull the remains of his plane from the Atlantic Ocean. No signs of life were found on board though. Some wondered if Scar was truly out of the picture, yet, WHOOP assured any naysayers that it would be literally impossible for an individual, even one like Scar, to survive such an incredible fall and then the crushing depths of the ocean.

After taking care of SOAP's cleanup, WHOOP turned to repairing its main branch after its destruction at the hands of the aforementioned group. Memorial services were held for those that fell in the line of duty. Survivors picked up the pieces, forcing themselves to smile and keep up the good fight in place of their comrades. Rounding up SOAP's remnants, fortunately, helped to keep them focused. At the urging of his own men, Jerry Lewis initiated a rigorous training program to better ready his operatives to protect the world.

But faith in WHOOP was faltering. Many blamed them for Scar's rise—he had been a former WHOOP agent, after all—and them being the first to fall to his forces despite it being in their job description to stop maniacs like him. They lost both standing and funding from those they were tasked with protecting, hurting efforts to stabilize the organization. Jerry didn't let this deter him from keeping the group afloat.

WHOOP wasn't going anywhere so long as he had say on the matter.

And neither were his best spies: Sam, Alex, and Clover. So long as he had them, he was confident WHOOP could overcome any trial thrust its way.

But someone was missing. The person in question was a hero, one that would never be praised or even mentioned in any history books. Yet, she had saved everyone. No one would ever believe she had stopped Scar by sacrificing everything, no one but her closest friends.

Many would deny her existence.

But she was no myth.

Christine was a hero.


	3. (1) Totally More Trouble

**(1) TOTALLY MORE TROUBLE**

It was time at last. For bitter rivals such as Malibu University and Valley Technical University, nothing got the blood of their students, faculty and athletes flowing like a good, old fashioned track meet.

The track field of Malibu University was the host of the event, where hundreds of fans from both schools packed the stands. Their spirited cheers rocked the campus and threatened to register on the Richter Scale.

Both sides were evenly matched from the looks of it, having traded hard-fought victories in preceding events. Today would be the clincher. With only a single event remaining, the relay race, both squads were ready and willing to put everything on the line to claim victory for their side.

"The air here is good. I'm getting fired up."

Dyson Glee gazed up to the heavens. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and he wasn't sure he had ever seen the sun shining so brightly. A soft breeze, meanwhile, was rolling through the area. If this wasn't a perfect day to run a race, he wasn't sure what was. As the star of the Mali-U track team, most were expecting another outstanding performance from him. The pressure was on for sure, but as he took his place at the starting line next to his opponent and loosened up with some stretches, he felt like a kid in a candy store.

"Good luck, pal. Let's have a good one," he said to his opponent, who merely leered at him like he was a maniac before going back to his own stretching. "He sure is quiet, unlike _some_ people…"

He was referring to the section of howling girls, his so-called fan club.

"You can do it, Dyson!"

"Yeah! You gotta bring home that W for Mali-U!"

"If Dyson can't do it, no one can!"

"Marry me please, Dyson! Be my honey-bunny!"

So loud. Covering his ears, Dyson appreciated their support. He just wished they would stop howling loud enough to wake the dead. It was honestly ruining his concentration.

Another in the crowd shared his sentiment.

"Is all of this really _that_ exciting?" asked Sam in an honest to goodness manner. She curled her lips as she peered at all the signs either depicting Dyson's name, his face, or words of encouragement. She guessed she should have been impressed instead of being annoyed at such a ruckus. "They're going to blow out my eardrums at this rate. And you know how much I hate to sweat. Let's just..."

"Let's go, Mali-U! Kick those Valley Tech jerks back to where they came from!" cried Alex, sitting beside the redhead. She had her own sign and a foam finger for good measure.

"Dyson's got this," said the blonde-haired Clover, vigorously waving a pair of pom-pomps around. She eventually noticed Sam giving her a puzzling look, leading her to add, "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Sammy. You're supposed to be totally stoked during big matches like this!"

Sam replied, "Sorry, but watching sports aren't really my thing. Besides, I get why Alex is here since she's on the track team, but _you're_ only here, Clover, to cheer on Dyson like those hyenas down there."

A 'hyena' bolted from the stands and toward Dyson, though security quickly pounced on her. They dragged her away while she kicked and screamed, "Call me, Dyson!" A visibly mortified Dyson merely shook his head.

Clover looked proud, not ashamed, at Sam discovering her secret. "Can you blame me? Who _wouldn't_ want to cheer for a total hottie like Dyson Glee?"

"Speaking of hot…" Alex made an effort to block out the scorching sun with her hands to no avail. "Didn't the weatherman say it would be cool out today? You could fry an egg on the sidewalk in this heat."

Like most in the crowd, she and her friends had dressed light. It didn't seem to be doing them much good, however. The crowd still hollering as loud as they could for the home team left her impressed.

"Oh, it's not that bad," said Clover, swinging her pom-poms around even harder.

Sam, taking a long swig from an ice cold bottle of water, said, "You _would_ say that. You go to the tanning booth enough that you're probably used to absorbing harmful UVs. Some of us, however, don't like to sweat, Clover."

 _Now_ Clover was embarrassed, turning bright red. "I-I do not! Sheesh! We wouldn't have brought you along if we knew you were gonna be this crabby, Sam!"

It was too hot to argue, so Sam didn't, instead drinking more water. Her giving up so easily annoyed Clover even more, though the most she did was frown and go back to cheering.

"Ah, there you are. Ladies, I'm glad you could make it."

Dyson approached Sam, Alex and Clover were. The three of them hushed when he flashed that million dollar smile of his. Sam, swooning a bit, didn't think Clover being there for one person was so dumb anymore.

"It's pretty hot today, isn't it?" Dyson continued, oblivious to how longingly the three in front of him were staring. "I see Sam brought some water, but you two had better make sure to stay hydrated as well. It's easy to catch sunstroke in this type of weather."

"T-That's _my_ water," stammered Clover, snatching Sam's bottle. "In fact, I was...uh... _just_ telling Sam here about that."

"Hey!" the victim cried. Clover had already polished off what was left in it by the time she took a couple of swipes at her to get it back.

"Really? You sure know your stuff," said Dyson, smiling yet again. Clover nearly fainted in delight, with Alex having to catch her. Sam, meanwhile, fumed in anger.

"W-Why didn't _I_ think to say that…?" she bitterly mumbled.

"Oopsie. I forgot to bring something to drink," Alex admitted.

"Here. You can have mine," said Dyson, holding out his own water bottle. "I'd better not fill up too much before the race."

Alex gazed at the gift like it was the Holy Grail before building up the courage to take it. Blushing profusely, she made a mouse-like noise that was supposed to be 'thank you.' Sam and Clover could only look on, jealously burning within them. It was strong enough for Alex to sense, and she backed away from them some, assured they would pounce on her like lions the second Dyson turned away.

"I wish you could've been out there with us, Alex. We're really going to miss your speed. How's the ankle treating you?"

Strange. This was the first time either Sam or Clover had heard anything about 'Alex's ankle.' Both faced her for clarification. Looking like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, Alex hastily chugged her water.

"Yeah, that's...um...too bad," she sheepishly replied. She went out of her way to avoid eye contact with anyone. "But I'm sure you and the others will be alright without me."

Despite Sam and Clover thinking Alex as transparent as water, Dyson didn't seem to notice anything amiss.

"Well, I better get back out there," he stated. "Today seriously wouldn't be a good one for me to screw up. You see, my parents are in the stands watching."

Almost on cue, Dyson's heavy-set mother blared, "Run as fast as the wind, dear! We're counting on you!"

His tall, lanky father added, "Indeed. Give it your best shot, son. We know you can do it!"

Dyson, wanting to crawl into the nearest hole, groaned. "So embarrassing. Well, at least _they're_ confident. I've still got a few butterflies rumbling in my stomach."

His dazzling, blue eyes found themselves drawn to an empty spot on the track. For a number of moments, he said nothing, leading Sam, Alex and Clover to glance at one another in confusion.

"Is...something wrong?" Clover had to ask.

"There's no reason for you of all people to be nervous," Sam assured him. "You're the best runner in the state."

"Yeah. Just go out there and have fun!" said Alex.

"No, that's not it." Dyson shook his head, pausing again. "...It just feels like...something is missing. No, _someone_. Is it just my imagination?"

Whether it was or not, he didn't have time to debate. The referee signaled for him to come back since it was time to start the race. With a wave, he was off. The WHOOP spies returned the gesture, yet, the three of them were suddenly quite dour.

"...He was talking about Chris, wasn't he?" said Clover with a sigh.

"...Probably," answered Sam eventually. "Maybe somewhere deep down inside he...still remembers her."

"Didn't WHOOP erase everyone's memory of Chris?" asked Alex. "Oh, we _so_ would've kicked Valley Tech's butt already if Chris was here! She was almost as good as Dyson when it came to running."

"Well, she isn't here, and she isn't coming back," replied Sam stiffly, trying to fight back tears. "...And talking about her isn't going to bring her back either, so let's just…"

"And how come _you_ didn't run, missy?" Clover, crossing her arms, shifted her ire on Alex. "There's nothing wrong with your ankle, and you know it!"

The person in question faltered some. "I-I can...totally explain."

Sam and Clover were all ears.

"...To be honest, I haven't really felt like running at all ever since Chris...well...you know. Running track just reminds me of her way too much for me to enjoy it anymore. I obviously couldn't tell Dyson that, so…"

"Oh, Alex." Clover, feeling like the biggest jerk in the world, hugged her friend as hard as she could. Memories. They really could be painful at times. "I know how you feel, sweetie. I...I really miss Chris too."

"D-Do you think maybe...maybe she's still…?"

"No, Alex." Sam spoke hard and fast as if striving to drown her friend's words out. "Chris...Chris is _gone_. I think the three of us know better than anyone. We searched everywhere, but there's no way she could have..."

No. She couldn't do it anymore. None of them could. Without saying anything more, the three allowed the subject to pass.

Instead, they turned their attention to the relay race, which was just moments away from beginning at last. The crowd had grown into a fever pitch. They couldn't wait any longer.

And neither could Dyson. His body twitched with anticipation. At the sound of the starting gun, he and his opponent bolted forward with full heads of steam. They were neck and neck at the start, causing the Mali-U crowd to hold its breath. It wasn't long though before their star pulled ahead, sending them into a frenzy.

"Wow! I think he's actually gotten _faster_ ," noted Alex.

"It's like the guy he's racing is moving in slow motion," said an awestruck Clover.

Even Sam was on the edge of her seat. "H-He really is the fastest runner in the state...no, maybe even the country!"

Though being showered by unheard praise, Dyson himself was the only one in attendance who couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. There should have been someone there with him. There should have been someone running alongside him, someone important. He closed his eyes and could nearly picture their face.

"Who is it? Who is it that I can't remember? Maybe…?"

"What the…? H-He's totally slowing down!" cried Clover, putting her hands on the sides of her head in shock. "That other guy is about to catch up!"

"What's the matter with him? He looks like he's seen a ghost," said Sam.

"Come on, Dyson!" Alex got to her feet and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Snap out of it! You're almost at the finish line!"

Her declaration did the trick. He used everything he had left in the tank, realizing he still had an important job to do. The goal was in sight alright. Just a bit more. He willed his burning legs and heaving chest to hold on a bit more. The roaring of the audience dulled. The track around him blurred.

This was it.

This was the nirvana he craved every time he ran. It was here and greater than ever.

So why wasn't he happy? Why did he still feel as if he was ready to burst into tears? He should have been sharing this moment with someone. Why couldn't he remember them if they were so important?

Why?

"H-Huh?"

Something else wasn't right.

On instinct alone, Dyson stopped running. At nearly the same time, the ground began shaking violently, knocking him and his opponent off their feet. Those in the stands, meanwhile, began screaming in terror as they held on for dear life.

"A-An earthquake?" wondered Sam as people rushed past her to safety. " _Now_?"

"You've gotta _love_ California! It's either a million degrees or earthquakes!" said Clover.

"This is no time for jokes! We need to get out of here and fast!"

"Okay already! I'm moving!" Clover managed to balance herself as she stood, but there was someone else who remained perplexingly in their seat. "What are you waiting for, Alex, an invitation?!"

Alex hadn't heard a thing either of her friends had said. Something in the distance was of far more importance.

"Uh...did something move over there?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Something moved on the track! I'm sure of it…"

"Alex, it's a track. What, do you expect it to just get up and walk away?"

"I'm telling you something down there moved!"

Before Clover could further get to the root of things, she shrieked at being swept off her feet by someone in a rush to flee the scene.

"Hey, you could at least say excuse me!"

"Oh, _Sorry_ Clover," said a shrill voice that would make one wish they were instead hearing nails on a chalkboard. Mandy, smirking as she hovered over Clover, appeared anything but apologetic. "How about you watch where you're going next time, loser."

Clover jumped up, angrily replying, "I am _so_ not in the mood to deal with you right now! In case you haven't noticed, there's a stupid earthquake going on!"

She covered her ears, shielding them from the equally grating sound of Mandy laughing.

"Like I'd be worried about something like that," she said pridefully. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is."

Clover thought that easy for her to say when Trent, her bizarrely faithful intern, had her hoisted on his shoulders, taking the brunt of the shaking in her stead.

"You'd better not drop me, Trent!" she barked. "I just got my nails done, so I totally don't wanna break one by falling! Got it?"

"Y-Yes, Mandy," said Trent quietly. "Y-You're...sort of heavy though."

He knew it was a mistake to say such a thing the instant it left his lips. It was too late though.

"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU JERK?!" Mandy hollered, her face a vibrant shade of scarlet. "You've got a lot of nerve speaking to me like that considering you're just an intern! As a matter of fact…!"

While she continued to lay into him, Sam shook her head. "Here we go again. Come on, girls. We don't have time for this."

"She sure hasn't changed," said a frowning Alex.

"Of course not. Nastiness practically runs through her veins," said Clover.

As upset as Mandy was with Trent, she piped down upon noticing how hard he was breathing and wobbling around.

"B-Be careful while you move," she said in a mousy sort of voice that didn't remotely fit her. She was even blushing. Sam and the others rubbed their eyes, assured they were hallucinating. "I-I wouldn't want you to get hurt, alright?! A-And don't look at me like that, you loser!"

Her attempt at being kind hadn't been a resounding success, but Trent smiled nonetheless and happily said, "Yes, Mandy."

"Later, losers!" she said to Sam, Alex and Clover. "Try not to get trampled."

She and Trent took their leave, filling the humid air with the echoes of her cackles.

Clover, steaming like a vegetable, cried, "T-That Mandy! She's totally more insufferable than an earthquake!"

"That was almost sort of cute," said Alex. "But yeah, she even took the time to make fun of us in _this_ situation…"

"As much as Mandy drives me crazy too, I think you should take a look at something, girls!"

As Sam pointed toward the track, it became evident to everyone that an earthquake was the least of their problems.

A robot, a _giant_ robot, clawed its way out of the ground, tearing up everything in sight with its four, tentacle-like legs. A huge chunk of concrete nearly flattened Dyson, though he jumped out of harm's way at the last second.

"W-What in the…?"

Running was probably in Dyson's best interest. Too bad he was mesmerized by the silver, sphere-shaped machine marching toward him. A single, crimson eye peered down at the trembling track star, lifting one of its legs in preparation to crush him like an ant.

"Outta the way!"

Alex barreled his way and slammed her shoulder into him, pushing them both out of harm's way.

"Thanks," he told her. He had never been so glad to see her. "Say, wasn't your ankle sprained? You're moving pretty well."

"T-That's not important!" Alex was quick to say. "Hurry up and get outta here!"

"I can't. What about you? And I still have to find my parents!"

"Don't worry. They made it out safely. We saw them on the way over here," said Sam, rushing over to them alongside Clover.

"Um...so what _is_ that thing up there?" asked Dyson, pointing to the mechanical menace you wouldn't be able to miss if you were blind.

"That's a...good question," said Alex, helping him to his feet.

"You get out of here, Dyson! We'll handle this!" said Sam.

"Yeah, we don't need our star player mangled by some stupid robot," said Clover, giving him a thumbs up.

"And just what do you girls expect to do against that thing?!" replied Dyson incredulously. The three before him didn't answer him. At the same time, they clearly weren't terrified. Maybe it was just his imagination but...he felt like doing as they asked would be the best course of action. The confidence they radiated was inspiring.

"...O-Okay, got it. Running is my specialty, so…"

And he was off. He gave the girls one last glance as they readied to jump into battle.

"How come I get the feeling...something like this has happened in the past?"

"Is that everyone?" asked Clover.

Sam searched around. "I think so. We've still got a big, _big_ problem to deal with, girls."

"Ugh. I _knew_ something like this would happen sooner or later," groaned Alex. "Things have been _way_ too quiet since we took down SOAP."

"So much for things being peaceful without Scar around," said Clover.

"No point complaining about it now," advised Sam. "Come on, girls! It's spy time!"

With their X-Powders in hand, the three changed into their colorful cat suits, taking a fighting stance right after.

"Told you I saw something move," said Alex smugly. Clover just rolled her eyes.

The sphere-shaped robot fired a giant, red laser beam at the Spies. They were able to scatter away and avoid being roasted. The machine wasn't done there, launching a volley of missiles.

"T-That thing is armed to the teeth!" cried Sam.

"We're gonna be blown to bits!" shouted Alex.

"Not if I can help it!" Clover pulled out a pink rod and held it up high. With the press of a button, it projected a pink barrier around the Spies, shielding them from the missiles. "Good thing we randomly thought to bring the All Weather Umbrella just in case."

"Good thinking, Clover!" said Sam.

"Isn't it weird how we _always_ seem to have the right gadget for the right moment?" mused Alex.

The three looked at one another before shrugging.

Although she, Alex and Clover were no longer in any danger, Sam couldn't say the same for Malibu University, which was being torn apart.

"We can't just stay under this thing forever," she stated. "We have to stop that robot before it can cause any more harm!"

"Aw, do we _have_ to?" whined Alex. "M-Maybe it'll just run out of power eventually."

"Get real. It _never_ works like that," said Clover, wincing as a missile hit the spot right above where she was standing. "Uh...h-how long do you think this thing is gonna hold?"

A crack formed on the side of the shield as if to answer her.

Sam said, "Maybe we should try something else."

Going back to 'randomly bringing convenient gadgets,' she sure was happy she had a sudden urge to take along the Mini Nuclear Mood Ring. She slipped it on and carefully stuck her arm out of the barrier.

"Uh...i-is it a good idea to point that thing around so casually?" asked Clover.

"Yeah, you might totally cook us by accident!" said Alex.

Sam paid them no mind, activating the gadget and unleashing a torrent of green energy at the rampaging robot. The machine toppled over, yet, the recoil from the mood ring also sent Sam and the others flying back while still inside the bubble. All three, shrieking, were both relieved and shaken up upon crashing into some bleachers.

"Ow! M-My head…" groaned Alex, rubbing the afflicted area. "Nice going, Sammy!"

"Ugh! You broke him like you broke my nail!' voice a sniffling Clover. "And I just got a manicure too…"

"I'm alright too, girls. Thanks for asking," said Sam bitterly as she shoved some rubble off herself. It was hard for her to stay mad once she saw the robot down for the count. "Yeah!"

"Do you think that did it?" asked Alex.

Clover replied, "Well, it's not moving, is it?"

"We should be on the safe side and wait," said Sam cautiously.

Wait they did. They expected the robot to stir at a moment's notice. Instead, it didn't do anything at all.

"Okay then. Let's go home!" said Clover hastily.

"Yeah, nothing to see here!" added Alex.

"Not so fast, girls." Sam dragged them back before they could flee. "We still have to figure out what this thing is, where it came from and who sent it."

"To be perfectly honest...I don't really care!" boomed Clover, throwing her arms in the air in exasperation. "It's super, _nasty_ hot, and this catsuit is really sticking to my skin! I totally just wanna go home and take a nice, relaxing shower before I get any groddier!"

"Wow. That sounds like _heaven_ ," said Alex dreamily.

"Get serious, girls!" snapped Sam. She was beginning to lose her patience. "We're WHOOP agents, aren't we? Why are you both complaining about every little thing? It's our responsibility to…"

Neither Clover or Alex were listening to their friend's winding speech. It was hard to when the giant robot in the distance was far more eye catching, with it rising to its feet at long last.

"Ugh. See? _This_ is your problem," said Sam, shaking her head. She had her back to the enemy, still intent on admonishing her colleagues. "You two don't know how to focus."

"Um...Sammy? Maybe you should...turn around," said Clover.

"Don't try to change the subject. I'm not done talking."

"S-Seriously, Sam! You really should have a look at this!" yelled Alex.

"That goes for you too, Alex. You know, the two of you are _real_ pieces of work sometimes. I totally can't…"

That was strange. Sam wasn't sure why such a large shadow was looming over her. As she recalled, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Gradually facing whatever was buzzing behind her, she froze.

Suddenly, she didn't feel so talkative.

"W-Why didn't you two tell me that thingy was back up?!"

Alex and Clover, scowling, chose not to dignify that with a response.

It was payback time for the robot. One by one, it snatched the Spies up using its tentacles faster than they could flee. It pulled them closer to its red eye, leaving no doubt as to what it had in store. The three squirmed around in an effort to free themselves, though it was to no avail.

"Watch the hair! Watch the hair!" voiced Clover, who hung upside down.

"F-Forget about that, Clover! You're going to have a lot more than your hair to worry about at this rate…" said Sam, desperately reaching for the Mini Nuclear Mood Ring.

"That's easy for you to say. I just bought some new hairspray this morning, and it's totally about to go to waste!"

"Shut up already! Alex! Tell me you have some sort of gadget to get us out of this mess!"

"Of course I do!" Alex confidently replied. She didn't have much to back up her talk, however, only finding a stick of gum on her person. "Um...it's cinnamon flavored…"

Sam, with her free hand, palmed it over her face. "...We're _so_ going to die, aren't we?"

The robot didn't give her an answer, though it _did_ open from the top. The individual controlling it made their presence known, with Sam, Alex and Clover gasping in unison. Brown hair. Middle-aged. A nasty smirk that would actually make one wince. The white catsuit. The thick, British accent. Yes, they knew this woman well, a little _too_ well.

"Geraldine!"

"Hello, girls. It's been too long," said Geraldine Husk, the former leader of SPI. "Tell me, how have you three been?"

"I should've known a witch like _you_ was behind this!" growled Clover.

"Ah. Clover. I've been looking forward to an encounter like this. Escaping WHOOP's irritating Containment Facility was a handful, but it was all worth it to see you again, my dear."

"Sorry, but the feeling isn't mutual! Let us go, grandma!"

Geraldine laughed. "Sorry, but I'm afraid none of you are going _anywhere_ for the time being, not until I've exacted my long awaited revenge!"

"Like we haven't heard _that_ before." Alex rolled her eyes. "How come all you baddies always find a way to escape the Containment Facility one after the other?"

"Maybe Jerry should look into the security there," remarked a frowning Sam.

"What security?" said Clover scathingly. "Jerry might as well have a couple of sponges guarding these guys! We're so gonna have a serious talk with him after this!"

"I'm afraid you won't be speaking with Jerry or anyone else for that matter, girls," said Geraldine. "In case you've forgotten, you're about to come face-to-face with your demise."

"It isn't like you to come after us personally, Geraldine. Usually, you're sneaking behind the shadows and getting someone else to do your work for you. Why the change?" asked Sam.

"Hmph. I don't like the way you said that, but I'll concede you have a point. If I've learned anything from facing you girls in the past, it's that if you want something done, it's best to do it yourself. It would appear my new methods are working out just fine."

That evil smirk of hers grew wider.

"...Why is it _we're_ always stuck with the wackjobs?" said Sam.

"I say we shut her up once and for all," said Clover.

"Sounds good to me. Anyone got any ideas?"

"Do you still have the Mini Nuclear Mood Ring, Sam?" asked Alex.

"I think so." Sam repositioned her arm and grasped for the object in question, but ran into a problem. "Um...I-I can't quite reach it, girls. My other arm is bent at an awkward angle."

"Well, try harder! We're running out of time!" barked Clover.

"Alright already! Just...give me another sec!"

Sam loosened her arm bit-by-bit from the robot's clutches, all while doing her best not to draw Geraldine's attention. A distraction certainly would be nice.

Fortunately, Geraldine seemed keen on providing it herself by saying, "Hmm. Now that I've cornered you three, I'm at a loss on what to do. Simply crushing you would be a simple matter, but where would be the fun in that?"

Alex gulped. "Maybe you could, I dunno, let us go?"

"Yeah, we totally have a test we need to study for," added Clover, smiling innocently.

"Nice try, girls," answered Geraldine. "In case you've forgotten, you've not only ruined my life on numerous occasions but also SPI, the group I painstakingly put together. Now, I'm going to return the favor. If I could only see the look on Jerry's face when he finds out what befell his precious spies!"

She began cackling this time. As annoying as hearing her was, Sam was glad it at least delayed her from doing whatever she had in mind. Her movements became a bit more frantic.

"S-Seriously, Sammy! Hurry up!" whispered Clover, sweating bullets.

Sam informed her, "I heard you the first time! I've almost got it!"

Her fingers danced on the mood ring as she stretched her other arm as far as it would go.

"Oh, so _that's_ what you were doing."

Sam's eyes widened like saucers when Geraldine kicked the gadget out of her grasp and out of sight.

"I'm so sorry," she said in the phoniest voice Sam, Alex and Clover had ever heard. "You just seemed so desperate to get that ring that my foot moved on its own. Now then, I think I've figured out _precisely_ what to do with you brats."

That didn't sound good. Not even a little. That Mood Ring had been the Spies last hope. Without it, they could only cower as Geraldine got closer.

And closer.

 _And closer._

Funny. There was no strong breeze or anything, but for some reason, her giant robot suddenly started to sway back and forth. Both she and the Spies cried in terror.

"I-I'm gonna be sick!" moaned Alex as the shaking got worse.

"Point your head somewhere else! Somewhere else!" hollered Clover, desperately elbowing Alex's head, which was resting on her shoulder, away.

"H-Hold on, girls!" shouted Sam, who didn't have a clue what was happening.

Geraldine was in the same boat. "W-What in the…?"

She hadn't realized it due to all the chaos, but there was someone standing behind her. At once, she whirled around to find a tall figure dressed in a black coat. Unlike the others, the individual managed to stand perfectly still despite the robot being totally out of control at this point. Geraldine instinctively backed away, unable to determine their identity due to the hood obscuring their features. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a tangent of apprehension sweep over her.

"Who are you?!" she demanded to know. "How did you get up here?!"

The mechanical menace fell silent at last, much to the relief of everyone not named Geraldine.

"A-Are you girls alright?" said Sam groggily.

Clover, seeing stars, replied, "I-I think so. But my hair is totally ruined!"

A purple-faced Alex merely nodded. She would puke for sure if she dared to speak.

"Is that another crony of yours, Geraldine?" asked Sam, finally heeding the new arrival.

"No," she replied in an honest tone that three the Spies for a loop. "I've never seen this one before in my entire life. Speaking of which…" She pointed a stern finger at the person in question, looking ready to spill blood. "You're meddling in something that doesn't concern you, so I suggest you scram before…"

The hooded person wasn't interested in a conversation. Rather, they rushed forward in the blink of an eye and drove their fist into Geraldine's stomach. The force from it actually threw her back a fair distance, though she was able to land on her feet.

"Curses!" she snarled, clutching her midsection. "You've got some nerve hitting me like that out of the blue! I believe it's time for me to…"

How strange. Geraldine was sure the world around her shouldn't have been spinning. She lost the strength in her legs in her legs, and she muttered, "C-Curses!" before toppling face first in front of the speechless trio of Sam, Alex and Clover.

"T-That was _awesome_ ," Alex said after a brief pause.

"You can say that again." Sam sighed in relief. Somehow, they were saved.

"Who the heck is that guy over there though?" wondered Clover. "Doesn't this mean they aren't with Geraldine?"

If the hooded person, whoever they were, had heard Clover, they chose to ignore her.

"Rude much?" she said, wrinkling her nose.

Sam, watching the individual make their way over to the side of Geraldine's robot, inquired, "Say, what are they up to?"

"Maybe they're a robot fanatic?" suggested Alex.

She might have been onto something. The cloaked being was clearly inspecting something about the machine. Once they were done, they nodded and then thrust their entire arm through its steel plating as if it were paper. They sifted through wires and circuitry until at last pulling out an object Sam recognized on the spot.

"They're...taking the batteries?"

"You could've just gone to the dollar store, weirdo," chimed Clover.

"Jeez! How strong is this guy to be able to punch through _metal_?!" cried Alex.

"T-That might be _us_ if we aren't careful," warned Sam. "There's still no telling if this guy is friend or foe."

Despite their fears, the hooded figure walked right past them as if they weren't even there, jumping right off the robot. It was a thirty-foot drop in Sam's estimation, yet, the person landed without a hitch and sprinted away.

"T-Tell me you girls saw that too…" said Alex. She felt both dazed and confused. "What kind of freak was that?!"

That jerk could have at least freed us!" said Clover, who had more than enough of hanging upside down for a lifetime.

"I'm worried about something else," said Sam. "It's clear that person was just here for the battery and not us or Geraldine. Still, now that it's taken this thing's power source, I wonder what's going to…"

Suddenly, the tentacles keeping the girls captive loosened their grips. Gravity took over from there, and the Spies screamed as they plummeted.

"E-Everyone okay?" said Sam after the bumpy landing. The three had incidentally landed on the padding used during the earlier high jump event.

"Peachy…" growled Clover, blowing a bang out of her eyes.

"Can we go home already?" groaned Alex.

"Nope. We have to go after that strange person!" announced Sam. "Come on, girls!"

She went after the target without a moment's delay. Clover and Alex, however, could only scratch their heads.

"So, why are we going after that weirdo again?" asked Alex.

Clover shrugged. "Beats me. We can't leave Sammy alone with that creep though!"

The two seriously weren't in the mood for a chase after everything they had been through. Duty called though, so they made an effort to stay close behind Sam.

Geraldine, meanwhile, began to stir. Slowly moving her head up as she grit her teeth, she uttered, "Y-You all will _pay_ for your insolence! M-Mark my words, you'll…!"

Standing turned out to be her worst idea yet. She slipped on the smooth surface of the robot and landed square on her face.

"C-Curses…" she muttered, passing out yet again.

Today really wasn't her day.

#

The hooded figure looked over their shoulder. So, they were being followed. They expected as much. Turning on the gas, they darted from building to building, daring their pursuers to keep up. Sam, Alex and Clover were game, staying as close to the mysterious entity as their own shadow.

"W-Who in the world are we dealing with here?!" wondered an out of breath Sam. "We've been going after them for fifteen minutes, but they haven't slowed down at all! Don't they ever get tired?"

"I sure am!" Alex, huffing and puffing as well, had her tongue hanging out like a dog's. "H-How'd I end up running today after all?"

"At least Dyson isn't here to see you were lying," said Clover. Alex smacked her lips at the slight. "Seriously though, why doesn't that jerk just slow down already?!"

Hearing her, the cloaked individual did as she requested, coming to a full stop even. The Spies nearly crashed into them but quickly distanced themselves in case their possible enemy had any unseen tricks up their sleeve.

It had been scorching hot all day, yet, as Sam, Alex and Clover caught their breaths, a fierce wind abruptly blew past them. It was almost as frigid as the glare they were getting from the black-cloaked being.

"Alright, who are you?" asked Sam. The person opposite her and the others gave no reply. "Why did you steal that battery from Geraldine's robot? Just what are you after?"

The strange figure remained mum, much to Sam's irritation.

"While we appreciate you helping us out back there, I get a funny feeling you don't plan on doing anything good with that thing you're holding. Hand it over!" she added.

Her new acquaintance juggled the battery up and down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Pause.

Without warning, they made a beeline for the Spies, closing the gap between them in no time. It was only at the last moment that Sam was able to see and then begin dodging the array of punches and kicks thrown her way. Maybe 'dodge' wasn't the right word. It was more her doing everything in her power not to die. Even without being hit, she knew it would all be over if even one of her enemy's blows connected.

"F-Fast!" she cried, seeing blurs rather than limbs.

"Sam!" shouted Alex and Clover, hastily coming to her aid.

They arrived too late. One of the hooded figure's blows got through, nailing Sam right in the gut. It knocked her out on the spot. Alex managed to catch her as she slumped over, whereas Clover drove their foe back by narrowly missing a roundhouse kick.

"You're going to pay for that!"

Alex quickly said, "Hold on, Clover! We shouldn't…!"

But Clover was already lobbing a silver grenade at Sam's assailant. Rather than it exploding, it fashioned a net that ensnared its target.

"Gotcha!"

"Whoa. Nice one, Clover." Alex gave her a thumbs up. "Okay, let's head over to WOOHP. We can get Sammy here some help and drag this creep back with us so…"

She had spoken too soon. Jerry had told them the Net Grenade was foolproof, impossible to escape even. That was a lie. Either that, or whoever they were dealing with wasn't human. The hooded figure ripped through material as strong as steel with their bare hands. It threw Clover and Alex for a loop, but not as big as the one they experienced when the cloaked individual followed their escape up by tossing something at _them_. It burst into a thick, blinding cloud of smoke as it hit the ground.

"H-Hey! No fair!" said a coughing Clover. "I-I totally can't see a thing!"

"That's such a dirty trick!" added Alex, trying to fan the miasma away. " _We_ should've thought of something like this!"

The haze cleared away in due time. Something was missing though.

Or was it _someone_?

"Hey! T-That guy is gone!" voiced Alex.

"You're telling me they got away?!" said Clover as she rubbed the tears out of her burning eyes. "Ugh! That was so lame. Nobody was recording that, right? My popularity would take a _huge_ hit if someone saw that baddie totally hand us our butts."

Alex hoisted the unconscious Sam onto her shoulder. "Um...I think we'd better head to WHOOP as soon as possible and tell Jerry about this."

"Good idea. Something tells me that jerk wasn't just some random thief."

"And just when we thought the world was finally peaceful. What's going on this time?"

They could discuss it later. Right now, getting Sam out of harm's way was their primary concern.

As the two took their leave, Dyson Glee, observing them from the shadows, placed his hands in his pockets, frowned and muttered, "...That's a really good question, girls. All of this is giving me a _really_ bad feeling."

 **END**


	4. (2) Not So Clean

**(2) NOT SO CLEAN**

SOAP was gone. You would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't think that was a good thing. The world and its people were doing their best to put the organization and Scar out of their minds forever.

Still, there remained signs of SOAP's short yet efficient attack on humanity.

One of those places was the World Organization of Human Protection. WOOHP's main branch in Los Angeles suffered some of the worst damage at the hands of Scar, and besides a cosmetic makeover, other advancements were taking place. Better security and better trained operatives were just some examples to prevent another tragedy from taking place.

But today was calm. Today wasn't a day for worry or unrest.

Today would be a good day.

"It sure is pleasant outside. Not a cloud in the sky. How lovely."

Jerry Lewis strutted his way down a half constructed hallway, humming a happy tune as he glanced at the shining sun through a gaping spot where a wall had yet to be built. Yes, his headquarters remained a work in progress, but it was going to be a good day alright. He could just feel it in his bones.

"Oh dear. I've nearly forgotten. I should water the plants in my office when I get the…"

Without warning, he stopped in his tracks. Another pressing matter had slipped his mind. Taking a cautious once over at his surroundings, he prompted a pair of nearby agents to stop shooting the breeze and stare at him like he was crazy.

"Hello, sir. Is...everything alright?" one of them was compelled to ask.

"Oh, y-yes. ...Quite. Everything is fine," Jerry assured them while checking underneath a potted plant. By lifting the entire plant. As if that was _normal_. He was jittery, steadily trying to fix his tie even though his clumsy fingers were instead loosening it. "Keep up the good work, you two."

The agents, though not remotely convinced he was okay, simply nodded. Jerry took one last gander around the corridor before hurriedly retreating into his office.

"Is he...running from someone?" asked the same black-suited guard from before.

The other agent shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. "Maybe he just hasn't had his tea yet."

"Or, maybe the boss is finally losing his mind. The whole SOAP affair might have caused him to go senile."

"You're only saying that because he forgot your birthday last weekend."

Embarrassed, the first agent didn't respond, crossing his arms and admiring a bird chirping on a ledge.

#

Safe. Jerry, feeling like he had reached home plate, rushed to the seat behind his desk and sighed in relief. He was alone, nice and alone. He really couldn't stress the _alone_ part enough. There was a mountain of paperwork in front of him, and he simply wished to have some time to himself for once to get it all done.

"I couldn't have sent that troublesome girl on that little errand any sooner."

Ah, peace. Jerry smiled and let himself soak it all in. He couldn't get his work started without his usual cup of tea, but as he got up to make a fresh batch, he quickly encountered a problem.

"Oh, bother," he said, frowning at being unable to open the packet. "What is with this bloody thing? Come on already…"

He eventually got it open though only due to him being scared witless. The contents spilled everywhere, including on his fine, black suit and bald head. A person had entered his office just moments before, yet, rather than using the door like any sane individual, his guest simply marched right through the adjacent wall. They left a perfectly shaped imprint of themselves.

"Sorry I took so long, Boss," said a saluting Tabitha Conner, dressed in appropriate office attire. "Mission complete!"

"W-Welcome back…" mumbled Jerry, frozen in place. His poor, old heart was another moment or two from leaping right out of his chest. "You...did that faster than I anticipated, _much_ faster in fact. How…?"

"Oh, silly. You make it sound like crossing the Atlantic Ocean is hard or something."

Jerry couldn't answer that, not with a serious reply anyway.

"Say, Boss? You've got some stuff all over you."

"Y-Yes, quite." Jerry, frowning, shook the tea off himself. "Erm...splendid work, Tabitha."

Tabitha beamed at being praised before skipping her way over to him. She presented a plain, brown box tied neatly with a red bow. Jerry opened it, seeing it was jam packed with his favorite flavor of tea: Earl Grey.

"I would've been back sooner, but this was the last box in the remote location you specified me to look. You're so smart, Boss, wanting authentic tea from England. I ran into a couple of sharks on the swim back, but don't worry, I made sure they didn't have even one grain," explained Tabitha in a honey sweet voice.

Jerry lifted a finger, yearning to say something, _anything_. He had sent her to the outer reaches of North Wales. There wasn't any tea. There wasn't even any civilization. He expected Tabitha to take days, if not weeks, to realize she had been fooled and come home. And yet, here she was, holding the box of beverages he requested. As miffed as he was, it wasn't like he _didn't_ want the tea. Her resolve should have been commended, right?

No.

Sitting down due to the strength in his legs draining, Jerry slammed his forehead into his desk a few times.

"...What was I thinking leaving one of the Tabithas activated and reprogramming her to be my assistant?" he muttered to himself. "Did I not learn my lesson with robots with GLADIS?"

There was no escape.

The android before him, sweeping up the tea Jerry spilled, was honestly rather handy at everyday tasks such as this, and there was no doubt the rebuilding WHOOP would have been in dire straits if it weren't for her help.

Yet, that didn't change the fact Tabitha had a habit of being _too_ eager to assist. She caused far more damage than she fixed—Jerry was still in shock she hadn't learned to use the door yet as he instructed her—and generally wore on everyone's nerves.

And then there was her bubbly demeanor. So bubbly. Jerry had no issue with his people being upbeat about their work, but...there was no off switch with Tabitha. As he eyed her hum a pleasant tune and incidentally break a vase on his coffee table, Jerry again drove his head into his desk, almost hoping one of the blows would knock him unconscious.

"Did you need something else, Boss?" Tabitha happily wanted to know. "I can go to Germany for you next, and…"

"No!" he replied at once. Tabitha tilted her head curiously at the reaction. Clearing his throat, Jerry composed himself. Well, composed himself to the best of his ability anyway. "N-No. That's...quite alright, Tabitha. You've already been a most...wonderful help. Just take care of the paperwork I mentioned the other day. You should be able to do _that_ at least without injuring either yourself or someone else."

"Yes, sir! You can most definitely leave it to me."

Jerry was glad to see _someone_ was pleased. Tabitha bounced her way toward the exit, on the verge of overshooting the door by a wide margin yet again.

"The double doors! The double doors!" shouted Jerry hastily.

"Oopsie! I keep on forgetting about that. Thanks, Boss."

Jerry held his breath until the spunky android vanished behind the sliding doors. Afterward, he sunk in his chair, deflating like a balloon. There _had_ to be some silver lining in all this, right?

"Well, at least she _wants_ to work, unlike that lazy bucket of bolts, GLADIS."

"Hey, Boss? I forgot something, something important!"

Tabitha reduced yet another wall to rubble when she reappeared on the scene.

"Silly me! I forgot to ask if you wanted me to go out and buy any sugar."

"...No, Tabitha. That's quite alright. Thank you."

"No problem, Boss. You have a good one, alright?"

Tabitha left again, humming that same, grating tune Jerry couldn't put a finger on. He wasn't sure what was worse: her destroying everything she put her hands on, or her being blissfully unaware of it.

"She'll end up putting me out of business before we can finish fixing this place..."

He cupped his hand behind his ear, hearing the all too familiar clamor of shrieking coming from the ceiling.

So much for him getting any work done.

Alex, Clover and an unconscious Sam came dropping down onto the red sofa in the center of the room. Their landing was anything but comfortable, with Clover landing roughly on her bottom and Alex upside down.

"Even after all this time, I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Alex groaned.

"It'd be better if we didn't have to straighten our hair every time," grumbled Clover. Her blonde hair, standing on end, would have made one think she stuck her finger in an electric socket.

"Welcome back, ladies," said Jerry, raising an eyebrow. "How strange. It's always a rare occurrence for you three to ask to be WHOOPed. Is something…?"

"No time, Jer! Something _really_ big just happened!" exclaimed Clover.

Alex added, "Yeah! We've gotta do something and fast!"

"Calm down, girls." Jerry was caught off guard by them screaming at him left and right. "I'm well aware that Geraldine Husk not only managed to escape the Containment Facility but caused some serious damage at your school. I'm glad to see the three of you…" He took heed of Sam, prompting him to say, "...well, _two_ of you are okay. Rest assured WHOOP agents are presently taking care of the situation. They'll go about fixing up your school, wiping everyone's memories of the event and apprehending Geraldine. This time, I'll have her locked up on WHOOP Island just to be on the safe side. You did a wonderful job of stopping her, ladies. I guess the ordeal must have tired out Samantha quite a bit."

"Dangit, Jer! Would you stop being such a boy and _listen_ already!" shouted Clover. Jerry flinched. "We weren't the ones who stopped her!"

"Yeah, it was this crazy strong guy that showed up out of nowhere!" voiced Alex. "He knocked out Sammy here in one shot! She couldn't even lay a finger on him!"

"Oh, my…" replied Jerry, startled.

"Do you know anything about a guy like that?" asked Clover.

"No, I'm afraid not, girls. I'm just as stumped by this news. Did this person you're speaking of do anything else of significance?"

"Oh! He stole the batteries out of Geraldine's nasty robot," explained Alex.

"Why would they need to do something like that? Haven't they ever thought of just dropping by The Groove? They've got everything," questioned Clover.

Jerry, turning away, deliberated the matter. Could it be…? All of this felt like more than just a weird coincidence.

"Well, I was going to inform you girls of this much later when WHOOP acquired more concrete information about the sender, but earlier this morning, I received a strange disc with an encrypted message. I have been unable to track down its source, and the envelope the disc came in naturally came with no return address or name."

"Freaky," said Alex.

" _Way_ freaky," added Clover.

"Freaky indeed," Jerry agreed. "There is a chance, albeit a slim one, the message on the disc and your mystery person have something in common."

"Wow. Not bad, Jer. You're already on the case," said Clover. Color her impressed.

"Uh...Jerry? How come you look like your facial appointment at the spa was canceled?" said Alex a bit fearfully.

Jerry was livid alright, and his mood seemed to change out of nowhere. Both Clover and Alex shuffled uncomfortably in their seats, unsure if they had done something wrong without noticing.

"I'm sorry, girls. It's not you. It's just…" Jerry took a deep breath, realizing if anyone deserved to hear this, it was the two before him. "...I don't believe I need to remind you of the group known as Spies Organized Against Peace."

SOAP. The mere mention of the name prompted Clover and Alex to gasp.

"Y-You can't be serious! Are you saying those guys are back?!" said Alex.

"No way! That group and the wacko that ran it are history!" proclaimed Clover.

Jerry nodded. "Indeed. Thanks to Christine, we don't have Scar to worry about anymore. The world owes her a great deal for her selfless actions."

The room fell into a somber silence. It was nothing strange. The mere mention of Chris' name tended to have such an effect. Clover, sniffling, had to turn her head away from the others to hide the tears welling in her eyes. Alex didn't bother, bawling like a baby. A remorseful Jerry was about to apologize for causing them such pain when Sam finally stirred on account of all the noise.

"Ouch! T-That really smarts..." She grasped at her aching stomach and felt like a truck had run her over. "W-What happened? How did we end up at WHOOP? And why are you all crying?"

"Sam! You're alright!" proclaimed Alex, who went to hug her.

Clover did the same. "I'm glad to see that creep from before didn't hurt you too bad, Sammy."

"That creep from before…?" Sam blinked, having no clue what Clover was going on about. It took her memory a few moments to kick into gear. "That's right! Jerry, there's something we have to…!"

"No need to fret, Sam. Clover and Alex here have filled me in on the details. Since the three of you are now present and accounted for, I would like you to take a look at the message on the disc I mentioned earlier. Perhaps you can make better sense of it than I could."

Sam wasn't sure what he was talking about, but she nodded alongside her friends and had a hunch she would find out. The lights in the room dimmed, and a white screen lowered behind Jerry's desk.

"Yay. Movie night," said Alex excitedly.

"Hey, down in front! Some of us paid good money to see this," said Clover. Jerry curled his lips but moved out the way. "Thanks."

"Oh, brother…" mumbled Sam.

"I'm afraid I don't have any popcorn, ladies," chimed Jerry. He was glad the girls had cheered up some, though he wondered how long their good moods would last after they saw what he had in store for them.

Speaking of which, a video began to play on the screen. An unfamiliar man then appeared. Sam, Alex and Clover guessed he might have been around their age. He sat in a swiveling chair, clearly taking great humor in being able to spin around as he pleased, even making noises to go alongside it. He stopped and briskly faced the camera, apparently only just noticing it was on and rolling. The girls giggled.

"Oh, come on, Craig! We've been through this! Tell me that thing is on if you're going to point it at me!"

"You didn't say this was going to be a comedy film, Jer," remarked Clover.

"Trust me. It turns a lot grimmer," he answered.

The man on screen, now deadly serious, was actually a bit intimidating now that he wasn't messing around. The Spies thought it a shame he could make such a nasty expression since he was quite the looker. He wore a maroon suit and white undershirt. His hair was jet black and slicked back, working strangely in tandem with his sinister grin.

"What happened to his hand?" asked Alex, pointing.

"That's rude," scolded Sam, pulling Alex's arm down. "Though that _is_ weird."

In place of a right hand, the finely dressed man had a golden claw.

"How does he use the bathroom with that thing? Do you think he ever uses the wrong hand on accident? Ouch!" said Clover. She and Alex burst into more giggling, with even Sam unable to choke down a few laughs of her own.

"Pay attention, girls," said Jerry in a strict tone.

"Hello, vile agents of WHOOP!" The man with the golden claw spoke at last. His voice was booming, perhaps even menacing. Despite this, it was hard for the Spies to take him seriously thanks to Clover giving them a less than stellar image of him thus far. "If you are currently seeing this, know that the end of _everything_ is already in motion!"

"Wow. This guy is totally a stock movie villain with those lines," said Clover, rolling her eyes.

"How are we supposed to be afraid of him if he's going to be that cryptic?" mused Sam.

"He's even petting a white cat," Alex pointed out.

Said cat didn't look as if it wanted to be there, squirming every now and then in response to its master's rough stroking.

"And if you're thinking my way of speaking and this cat here are stock movie villain elements, you can go ahead and just bite me!"

Neither Sam, Clover or Alex had anything funny to say this time. They were too freaked out the subject of their joking had accurately predicted their reaction. There wasn't a camera on them too, was there?

"I did not send WHOOP this message for your amusement," the man continued, visibly agitated. "Film is rather expensive, so I'll make this short. Though the entire world will know it in due time, my name is Claw. And before you say 'Gee, how long did you stay up thinking of that name?', fourteen hours."

Sam wasn't so sure why he sounded so pleased with himself for saying something so stupid.

"As for the reason I've sent you this video, I am here to announce that I, Claw, being both unparalleled in knowledge, looks, physical ability, brain power…"

"Get on with it already!" said Clover.

"He mentioned he was smart twice," observed Alex.

"How ironic," remarked Sam.

"...am the sole one who can take up this mantle! Yes, it is true! You are looking at the _new_ leader of Spies Organized Against Peace! SOAP is back, baby!"

This Claw had been one of the most amusing characters Sam, Alex and Clover had ever laid eyes on. There was nothing amusing, however, about his claim. Their first thought was that all this was just some sort of practical joke. How could a clown like _this_ have anything to do with a group that nearly destroyed WHOOP and took over the world?

"That's right. You thought we were gone. You were foolishly under the impression we had been crushed into the dirt, forced to mingle with the worms underneath. Oh, how wrong you were! WHOOP's time and place in this world has come to an end at last! Somehow, you were able to stop our noble leader, Scar, but I can personally assure you that I will finish the great task he began. The dawning of a new day approaches. Yes, cower in fear while you still have the chance! Gather your resources, though it will not matter in the face of SOAP's insurmountable might! On top of all that…! O-On top of all...wait…"

Claw paused, seemingly working some sort of puzzle out in his mind.

"No way. Did he...seriously forget the rest of the stupid speech he's supposed to be giving?" said Alex, unable to hide a grin. "I mean, he _was_ going on forever there for a sec for a guy who's short on film."

"That proves it," said Sam, shaking her head. "He's a complete idiot."

"He sure does use a lot of big words."

Clover, rolling her eyes again, replied, "Yeah, but how much do you want to bet he so doesn't have a clue what a lot of them mean?"

"Is this for real, Jerry?" asked a skeptical Sam.

"After watching this the second time, I must say I'm...not entirely sure," Jerry conceded. "Even so, since this Claw character has mentioned SOAP, I believe it best we treat this matter seriously."

The girls nodded. They just wished Claw would do the same.

The man in question snapped his fingers, remembering the next line of his rant at last. It was a little too late for him to pretend to be all serious again, but the Spies gave him points for trying.

"Ahem. From this moment forward, I and the rest of SOAP are declaring open war on the World Organization of Human Protection! But not just WHOOP. No. The entire world! Every resource at our disposal will be used to put an end to this little dance of ours!"

Maybe he thought flexing his non-existent muscles would add legitimacy to his threats. Or perhaps he was just showing off. No one watching the video could say for sure.

"You're telling me you can't break the encryption of a message sent by _this_ guy, Jerry?" said Sam incredulously. Her boss didn't dignify that with a response.

Claw was on the verge of saying even more yet held his tongue when someone came out of the shadows behind him, tapped on his shoulder and whispered something not picked up on the recording into his ear. Whatever it was must have been juicy. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Wait a sec! That's him!" declared Sam. She pointed at the cloaked figure standing next to Claw, the very same one that had put her out of commission. "He's the one that stole the battery from Geraldine's robot! You're telling me that creep was working with SOAP?"

"Are you quite certain?" asked Jerry.

"Yeah. There's no doubt about it. There's something else though, Jerry. Look, you might think I'm crazy for saying this, but...I don't think whoever that is is human!"

"'Not human?' What does that mean? Does that mean they're a ghost?! An alien?! A…!"

"Give it a rest, Alex," said Clover with a sigh. "Hey, now that I think of it, I got the same feeling, Sammy! That freak moved better than me when I'm trying to get away from Mandy."

"So what exactly did you have in mind?" said Jerry.

Sam paused before replying, "It was...like getting hit by one of those Tabithas. There isn't any human that could punch so hard."

"Huh? So, there's another Tabitha out there, and it's working for SOAP?" asked Alex, scratching her head.

"Didn't we deactivate all those pain in the butts?" inquired Clover.

"There's no doubt about it," answered Jerry. "Of course, we can't exclude the possibility one of them slipped through the cracks. This Claw could have also created another."

" _That_ guy?" Clover pointed back at Claw, who had rotated his chair around to hide the fact but was obviously picking his nose. "Jer, he couldn't build his way out of a wet paper bag!"

"And if that was a Tabitha back there, it was the quietest one ever," said Alex.

"Yes, I suppose you _would_ know if it was one of _her_ …"

"J-Jerry? Is everything alright?"

Alright? _Alright?_ No, he wasn't 'alright.' Jerry reminisced on the events of this morning and the preceding weeks, feeling his eyelid jerk rapidly. Frankly, there was nothing 'alright' about having an uncontrollable robot who broke everything she touched and couldn't even do something as simple as...

"Of course," he calmly said, giving no indication of the rage in his mind. He had to find his happy place. _Happy place_. "Anyway, it is possible someone else could have created a Tabitha for him. There is no doubt in my mind this Claw isn't working alone. That would explain how he could say such brash threats without any obvious fear of the consequences. His behavior aside, if there really _is_ a new SOAP out there, they shouldn't be underestimated."

"Do not underestimate us, WHOOP!" Claw blared. "I'm afraid we must part now. According to my subordinate here, I am needed elsewhere. Ignore my warnings at your own peril! Then again, it isn't as if you losers can do anything to stop my genius, so why don't you use the little time you have remaining wisely?"

He erupted into a bout of laughter.

"O-Ow!" he cried, on the verge of tears. "I bit my tongue! Turn off the camera! Turn it off!"

The recording ended at last.

"That was...interesting," was all Sam could think to say.

"That guy was totally missing some screws," stated Clover.

"I don't think anyone put any screws in him to begin with," added Alex.

Jerry retook his spot in front of his desk. "If what you three have told me is true about Geraldine, her robot and that mysterious individual that showed up, then perhaps them stealing that battery has something to do with today's mission."

"We have a mission?" said Clover, blinking.

"You do now. Now then, take a look at this."

A map of the world showed up on the screen this time.

"Ugh. This isn't going to be a geography lesson, is it?" groaned Alex. "I _hate_ geography."

"No need to worry, Alex. It's nothing of the sort, although you _should_ memorize what I'm about to tell you.

"For the past week, someone has been ransacking places all over the globe of various energy sources. The culprit doesn't appear to be picky about them either. Vast amounts of nuclear energy were stolen from a power plant in Russia, while a mere shopping complex here in California had its generators stolen. And no, Clover, it wasn't the Groove."

Clover had been on the verge of freaking out but this news made her sigh in relief.

"Finally, solar modules from a satellite in outer space have vanished into thin air."

"All that on top of the battery stolen today. This...doesn't make any sense." Sam put her hand on her chin, lost in her thoughts. "Why would someone want to go around stealing a bunch of random power sources? Wouldn't you want the same kind and the most efficient? I don't get it."

"That's exactly what you girls need to find out. I didn't think any of this had a connection, but it is highly probable SOAP is behind these strange occurrences. We may not know much about this resurrected SOAP, but we can say for sure from this Claw character and their actions so far that they are not nearly as effective as their predecessor. Their actions seem predictable."

"They'll go somewhere with tons of energy for them to steal."

"Very good, Samantha. Unfortunately, that could be anywhere."

"Hey, I've got an idea of where SOAP might go next! If they attacked the relay race, there's a chance they might still be in the area," said Clover.

"What do you mean?"

"Duh! That's easy." Apparently, it wasn't because the others turned to Clover for clarification. "Oh, come on! Think about it. It's close-by."

"The library?" suggested Sam.

"A comic convention?" mused Alex.

"Ah, you must be thinking of one of those internet cafes that are all the rage these days for you young people," added Jerry.

"Huh? I'm shocked you even know those things exist, Jer. You're a lot more hip than I give you credit for."

Jerry blushed a little.

"You're wrong though. All of you are. I can't believe you of all people, Sam, forgot about this. Mali-U is having a science fair in the auditorium this afternoon. I was totally going to avoid that place like the plague since it's _way_ too dorky for the likes of me, but when you think about it, whatever the students bring there should be _exactly_ what SOAP is looking for."

"T-The science fair?!" Sam looked like she had seen a ghost. "You've gotta be kidding me! I've totally forgotten to finish my project! Maybe if _some people_ weren't dragging me off to track meets…!"

"Hey!" Alex took offense to that. "Track meets are _way_ more fun than boring science fairs!"

"For your information, I'm getting a ton of extra credit for this. You two, quite frankly, are missing out."

"Yeah, it's still totally lame no matter how you try to spin it, Sam," said Clover.

Annoyed, Sam wasn't going to bother to argue the thrill of building your own project and then having the judge proclaim you the winner. You got your picture taken and face hung up in the library for all to see for crying out loud!

"A science fair? Clover, do you truly believe SOAP would target such an event?" asked Jerry skeptically. "Well, it isn't as if we have much else to go on. We'll have to trust your intuition. Alright, girls, head down to that fair and see what you can discover. My, you fortunately are lucky to attend such an event. I'm sure there will be much for you girls to learn."

"See? _He_ gets it!" Sam was quick to proclaim.

"Still lame, Sammy," said Clover, sticking out her tongue in disgust.

"Also, girls, keep an eye on the proceedings for any sign of SOAP. If they really do show up, there is a high probability those at your school will be in danger."

"Leave it to us! If SOAP _does_ rear its ugly head, we're _so_ gonna be there to take them down," voiced Clover with confidence.

"Yeah! You can count on us," added Alex.

Jerry smiled. "I never doubted your skills for an instant, ladies. Now then, you'll need some gadgets for this mission."

On cue, Tabitha skipped her way back into Jerry's office, making him groan. She held three pink, heart-shaped bags.

"I got 'em, Boss! I got the gadgets just like you asked. And I didn't destroy anything this time. I swear," announced the ever energetic Tabitha. She was a bit _too_ happy, however, as she tripped over her own foot, breaking _another_ antique vase, a tea set given to Jerry by his mother _and_ a one-of-a-kind painting donated to him by an art museum. In a strange sort of way, Jerry was both enraged and awed. "Oopsie! Sorry about that, Boss. Don't worry. I'll have this junk swept up in a jiffy!"

"My mother's priceless tea set was not…!" Jerry grabbed a stress ball off his desk and squeezed hard. "Remember what your therapist said, Jerry. Find your happy place. Happy place."

Tabitha tilted her head. "Boss?"

"It's...nothing. You've done well as always. Yes. You've...done well," he lied, shaking in a blind, all consuming rage. "Happy place, Jerry."

"Yay!" She began jumping up and down, much to Jerry's dismay. Miraculously, nothing else was broken. "Hey, where'd those bags get off to?"

The Spies had taken them while the android wasn't paying attention. That suited Jerry just fine. He trusted a trio of teenagers with a bag full of dangerous and deadly items more than this particular machine.

"Right, where was I? Ah, yes." Jerry stepped over to a table that had an assortment of gadgets, the very same ones his operatives would be using. "First up is the Wind Tunnel 9000 Turbo Blast Hair Dryer. A classic."

Sam, Alex and Clover knew the pink hair dryer he was holding up was just as good at styling one's hair as it was frying their enemies to a crisp.

Next, Jerry showed off a poofy, orange wig. "And of course, we have the All The Rage Expanding Wig Cage. You may need to capture someone on this mission, and this is the gadget that will help you do so."

"Would you throw that thing in the trash already, Jer!" said Clover, not bothering to hide the displeasure on her face. "It stopped being 'all the rage' centuries ago."

Sam and Alex nodded in agreement.

"Well then, perhaps this next item is more to your liking." Jerry held up a pair of red sunglasses before slipping them on. Like most of the stuff there, it looked nothing like a gadget to the untrained eye. "The Heat Sensor 6000 Infrared Motion Detector Sunglasses. Per the name, they'll allow the wearer to detect both heat and motion, even through solid surfaces."

"Do we really need something like that when we're gonna be inside Mali-U's auditorium?" asked Alex.

"Better safe than sorry, Spies."

Locked and loaded, Sam, Alex and Clover were ready to move out.

"Thanks for the stuff, Jerry," said Sam. "We'll be late for the fair, so let's hurry!"

She dashed out of the office as fast as her feet could carry her.

"Her project must be really good," said Alex.

Clover sighed. "Unless it makes science fairs as fun as getting a mani, I'm still not interested."

"I'm sure you two will have plenty of fun," Jerry assured them. "You both had better hurry and catch up to Sam. Don't hesitate to contact me on your Compowders if something urgent comes up. Safe travels, Spies."

The two nodded, sulking their way out.

"Good luck, girls!" Tabitha shouted after them. "We'll be cheering you on from here! Say, is it alright if I go on the mission too, Boss? It seems like it's going to be a lot of fun!"

"Oh heavens no," replied Jerry without really thinking. He was quick to correct himself once Tabitha looked as if she was about to burst into tears. "I-I mean that's...quite alright, Tabitha. While the girls could no doubt use your aid, I need you here at the office with me. I would be...er...lost without you. There's still so much paperwork to go through."

"Ah, I almost forgot about that." With her mood considerably brightened, Tabitha gave a hearty salute. "Leave it to me, Boss. If it's paperwork you need doing, Tabitha is the girl to call!"

"Good. I'm…" Jerry seriously hesitated in finishing his statement. "...counting on you. Just promise me you won't burn anything down this time."

"I won't make any promises, sir."

Jerry chose not to tempt fate by scolding her anymore. At least she was honest.

Besides, he was far more bothered about the video allegedly sent by SOAP.

"For the world's sake, I certainly hope that whole thing really was nothing more than a practical joke."

#

It didn't make any sense. Was this some kind of practical joke? Clover stood in complete and utter shock as more and more students piled into Malibu University's auditorium. The track meet might have ended in disaster, but the students and staff were going to do everything in their power to make sure the science fair went off without a hitch. Entrants eager to show off the fruits of their labor were all around as well as those keen on seeing what new and exciting projects had been cooked up.

"D-Don't any of these people have any sense of style?" Clover muttered, still shell-shocked. "It almost looks like a buy one, get three free sale on purses at the Groove! Our school seriously had _this_ many nerds? If someone sees me here, my popularity is so going down the toilet!"

"Oh, give it a rest already, Clover," said Sam. "Besides, you're ruining my concentration."

"What the heck are you even doing?"

Sam busied herself with a strange contraption that neither Clover nor Alex could make heads or tails of. The most they could say about it was that it had a lot of tubes and some sort of clear liquid zigzagging through them. Watching it move about only served to make Alex dizzy.

"I-Is this designed to make someone puke?" she questioned.

Sam wasn't listening. Sweating, she wiped her forehead and begged her trembling fingers to work with her a little longer.

"Almost done. Almost done," she muttered, striving to put the finishing touches on her project. The officials would be there at any moment to judge it. "W-Wait, did that part go there? Or was it supposed to go here? Oh no! Where did I put the last tube?! A little help here, girls!"

Yeah. Clover wasn't doing that. She walked off, still in disbelief there could be so many geeks, yet, they were paying more attention to their silly projects instead of her beautiful face. It was beyond insulting. She made a greater effort to stand out.

"I don't think SOAP is going to show up here," she suddenly declared, holding her head high. "Sam, let's go home!"

"We've gotta wait until the end, no matter how much this place gives us the creeps," said Alex. Even the air in the auditorium was foreign to her. She frowned hard enough to pull a muscle. "This is just as bad as that time Sam entered the science fair back at Beverly High."

"Are you kidding? This is _worse_! There's at least ten times as many geeks around!"

"But aren't they finally paying you attention?"

"Yeah, but if one more of them mentions anything about how 'my hair shines brighter than the hottest star,' I'm totally gonna sock someone in the mouth!"

As if her day wasn't already reduced to shambles, Clover got a full whiff of a pungent smell wafting through the air. It nearly fried her eyebrows off it was so foul.

"Grody! What in the _world_ is that nasty smell?!"

"Oh my God." This was the closest Alex had come to throwing up. "I-It's totally like sitting in a hamper of old gym socks mixed with rotting cheese and armpits! Sam, do you smell…?"

The two came to a startling conclusion: the putrid odor stemmed from Sam's science project. Sam either didn't notice the smell or it had destroyed the functions of her nose since she kept busying herself with her experiment as if everything was peachy keen.

"Sam."

"Alright. Just a little more…"

"Sam!"

"Okay...there...perfect!"

"Sammy!"

"All I have to do now is…"

"SAM!"

Clover crept up on Sam, scaring the living daylight out of her and nearly causing her to drop her experiment. "You mind explaining why your project smells so funky?! It's like someone died in here!"

"Yeah, good decency!" Sam snapped back, scowling as hard as she could. "For your information girls, while I can admit my invention is disgusting, it will revolutionize the way we look at sweat."

"Sweat?" repeated Alex. "But you _hate_ sweat!"

"Weren't you complaining about ruining your clothes with sweat during the relay race?" said Clover. Had her friend gone insane?

Sam, ignoring their horrified expressions, went on with, "True. I mean, I still think it's totally gross, but I also realized even something disgusting has its uses if applied properly."

No matter what she said, Clover would _never_ think anything positive concerning a bodily fluid she couldn't control and didn't want in the first place. Plus, it smelled, _bad_.

"My invention, the Perspiration Converter and Refiner, turns everyday sweat into renewable energy. By my calculations, it's even stronger than solar or wind power if you can gather enough sweat! Don't you see what this means?"

"Why are you so excited about sweat?" asked a gagging Alex.

Sam ignored her. "With the power it creates, you can fuel things like cars, airplanes, maybe even trains! This is the next step in energy development!"

"No, it's _sweat_!" cried Clover. "This is so gross!"

"No longer will we need to rely on fossil fuels! Everyone sweats, which means there's infinite energy available! Even in the event of a disaster, mankind would be just fine. Isn't that great?"

"I don't even wanna know how you got this idea…" mumbled Alex.

"Where did you even get enough sweat to do this?!" asked Clover.

"Oh, that was easy. The track team had plenty to spare," said Sam a bit too casually. She was even smiling. "The towels they use are pretty much a gold mine. Oh, their uniforms too. I even managed to take some from their…"

Clover quickly held her hand up. "Okay, okay! We...get the point!"

"I don't want dinner tonight," said Alex, sounding absolutely miserable.

"How did you even get the track team to agree to give you their sweat?! Ugh…"

"Why are you asking her more questions about this?!"

Sam was more than happy to keep elaborating. Before she could though, she finally got a whiff of her own medicine. Her hand immediately shot over her mouth as she retched.

"W-Wow! That really _does_ stink!"

Everyone else in the auditorium thought so as well. The smell was both potent and fast moving. Its victims voiced their complaints, shooting Sam a bevy of irate gazes. Embarrassed beyond belief, she blushed and sunk her head behind her table.

"N-No wonder the judges haven't come over to check my project yet…"

"You might be in luck if you can make that thing make air freshener instead," suggested Clover.

"At least you were imaginative," said Alex, pinching her nose.

"Gee, thanks," retorted Sam sarcastically.

"Can we go home now? Pretty please?" asked Clover, winking for good measure.  
"In case you've forgotten, this was _your_ idea. Besides, unless we can confirm without a doubt SOAP isn't here…"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Jeez. Me and my big mouth."

Clover took a good look around, having nothing better to do. A group of students at one table were buzzing about a project that used hydroelectricity to power a miniature robot that could walk and even talk. While she didn't get how they could look so excited about all this, a part of her thought it was rather...nice.

"I guess to them, this is like a last minute shoe sale at the mall."

"Did you say something, Clover?" asked Alex.

"You seem rather pleased about something," noted Sam.

"N-Nothing at all," Clover was quick to say. A realistic-looking model of a volcano exploded in the background to the delight of everyone watching. "I-I was just thinking...some of the stuff here is kinda...cool. W-Wait! _Not_ cool! Totally not cool! It's just...okay. Yeah, okay."

Maybe that was something she shouldn't have admitted out loud since Sam and Alex stared at her like she had lost her mind.

"That's...rather sweet of you, Clover," said Sam, still not fully convinced she had heard her friend correctly. "Look, I know this isn't the place you or Alex want to be, but we have to remember we're doing this for WHOOP. I mean, _I'm_ doing this because I totally want that first place medal, but besides that, we're here to put an end to SOAP once and for all. Whether we like it or not, we're in for the long haul."

SOAP. Even now, neither of three liked mentioning the name, let alone discussing the matter in detail. Were they really back? The girls had done plenty of joking around at the expense of the video Claw sent, yet, what if he was for real? WHOOP had barely beaten SOAP the first time around, and that was only thanks to help from…

"I miss Chris."

Sam and Alex looked up from the floor and at Clover, who was busy wiping tears out of her eyes.

"Yeah, me too," said a sniffling Alex.

"I-I know, girls, but...we've been over this," stated Sam in a stern tone. Nevertheless, even she couldn't hold back the flood of emotions sweeping over her. "Chris...Chris wouldn't want us to be hung up on her like this. If she knew SOAP were back, she would want us to do everything in our power to stop them. And that's exactly what we're going to do!"

"Chris, huh? That name sure rings a bell. Where have I heard it before?"

A science fair was the very last place Sam, Alex and Clover expected to see the always charming Dyson Glee. Here was though, his ten million dollar smile and all.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you three," he said. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation either. I'm glad to see you're all alright after that...well, _incident_ earlier today. Cleaning up the track was a bit of a pain, but me and the rest of the team got it done. We won't be able to race on it for awhile unfortunately. That's a fair price to pay for no one being seriously injured or worse."

"That's great to hear," said Alex with a sigh of relief. "Hey, but didn't WHOOP erase your…"

Clover was quick to put her hand over Alex's mouth, making Dyson raise an eyebrow.

"Still, if you girls don't mind me changing the subject", he continued, "who is this Chris you were talking about? I get a strange feeling I know a Chris, but…"

"Y-You obviously misheard us," said Sam quickly.

"Yeah. Um...we were just...er…" Clover wasn't as quick thinking as her friend.

Fortunately, Alex did the talking for her. "We were...um...just deciding on a name for my new pet goldfish!"

"Goldfish?" echoed Dyson, raising an eyebrow.

Alex fidgeted in place. "Y-Yeah! Chris is a great name, right?"

"Uh...sure. Are you...girls feeling alright? You all look like you've seen a ghost."

The trio glanced at one another. Their eyes were still puffy and red. They were also quite pale. Thinking it unwise to say anything more, they nervously nodded in unison.

"Hey, what are you even doing here, Dyson?" asked Clover. "The track field is totally on the other side of the campus."

"Thanks, Clover. I'll keep that in mind." Dyson was clearly joking, but Clover didn't mind being made fun of since the way he smirked at her made her melt. "Actually, I heard the science fair was happening today, so I came to check it out."

"The science fair?! _You_?!" exclaimed Alex in complete and utter shock.

"I...wouldn't have thought a guy like you would have any interest in this," said Sam, just as awestruck.

"Because I'm some dumb jock, right?" replied Dyson. The slight didn't bother him; in fact, the girls were sure he was smiling even harder. "Believe it or not, I'm actually really into this stuff. My parents won't let me mess around with it since they think it's a distraction to my running. Little do they know I like hanging out at the Science Club after practice when I get the chance. You know, I was going to enter my own project, but...say, what's that awful smell?"

Sam hurriedly hid her project from view.

"Hmm. Maybe it's just my imagination."

A group of nerdy students walking by greeted Dyson. He politely waved back.

"N-No way! Dyson Glee is a... _nerd_?!" gasped Clover, eyes wide like saucers. "Shocking much?"

"Just when you think you know a guy…" muttered Alex, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sam, on the other hand, was bursting at the seams with excitement. "Whoa. Say, do you know anything about quantum physics?"

"Do I? That's my favorite subject," replied Dyson with a chuckle. "I've been meaning to sign up for an advanced class on it."

The two continued to chat passionately on the matter, much to Clover's and Alex's displeasure.

"Those two are practically a match made in heaven," Alex remarked.

"No fair!" Clover stomped her foot. "Sam wouldn't even know what to do with a hottie like him!"

Dyson told Sam, "Speaking of which, I actually signed up for a physics class last semester. I did it late, so by the time I was about the start, the class got canceled. I heard they fired the professor. I think his name was...Doctor Heisenberg?"

"Huh? You actually remember him?" Alex asked without thinking. Clover _and_ Sam shot their hands over her loose lips this time.

"What? What do you mean by 'remember him?'"

Instead of answering him, the Spies huddled up, speaking quietly.

"D-Didn't WHOOP erase that creep from everyone's memories like Chris and SOAP?" Clover wanted to confirm. "Why does he remember that mondo crazy Heisenberg then?"

"I'm...not sure," admitted Sam. "If all he knows is Heisenberg's name then...maybe it's okay. Just act natural, girls."

"That _totally_ isn't our strong suit," said Alex. The other two frowned at her. "W-What?"

The three broke apart, considering their strategy as good as it was going to get. They had already failed in their first step, however, unable to make their beaming faces appear anything close to 'natural.'

"Uh...okay, I wasn't going to bring this up again," he began, making them tremble in fear of what he would add, "but seriously, what in the world is that _smell_?! Did something die in here?!"

Sam practically kicked her project away as far as she could, still grinning like a robot.

Fortunately for her, Dyson and everyone else forgot the putrid odor of her experiment on account of the lights in the auditorium suddenly cutting off. People began to mutter, even panic as total darkness plunged the room. It was creepy enough without the shrill scream everyone heard seconds later.

"C-Clover? Clover! Was that you? Calm down! It was probably just a power outage," said Sam. "Did someone trip over a cord or something?"

"T-That wasn't what scared me half to death! It was Alex jumping on me!"

"S-Sorry," Alex whimpered. "I just _really_ hate the dark!"

"Aren't you, like, too old to be saying something like that?! And get off me already! You're heavier than you look!"

"No way! What if something totally jumps out and gets me?!"

"You'll be _fine_ , Alex," said an exasperated Sam. "Paranoid much? Anyway, can anyone else see at least two feet in front of them? Because I sure can't!"

She carefully walked forward, feeling her way around. Even then, she crashed into someone, that someone being Dyson.

"Sam?" his voice called out.

"Yeah, it's me. Are you alright?"

"Sure, but we had better do something before everyone completely flips their lids. The last thing we need is everyone running around like crazy when no one can see or tell what's going on. There should be a circuit breaker around here. Assuming it isn't broken, we should be able to turn the lights back on."

"Good thinking. How do we make our way to it in the dark though?"

"Hold on. I think I've got a flashlight on me."

He paused. He was either hearing things or someone was rummaging through something incredibly close to him. Numerous objects hit the ground soon afterward, breaking with thunderous force. Everyone grew quiet and even more unsettled, striving to hear if whoever was moving was friend or foe.

"Whoever that is, calm down! We'll get the power back on shortly," Dyson yelled. "You'll only end up hurting yourself if you keep moving around in this darkness."

The noises didn't stop. In fact, they got louder.

"I've got a real bad feeling about this," said Sam. It was time to bust out the Heat Sensor 6000 Infrared Motion Detector Sunglasses. Upon turning them on, she saw there was someone moving alright. It was definitely a person, and yet, they were moving _way_ too fast. Even with the sunglasses, she could barely keep up with them. "Hey, wait a sec! Whoever that is is...taking stuff!"

Sure enough, she could see the thief stuffing their contraband into a leather sack. She couldn't make out exactly what they were stealing, however.

"Wait, what's happening?" Clover wished to know.

"I-It really _is_ a ghost, isn't it?!" said Alex, her teeth chattering.

The snatcher locked eyes with Sam, visibly surprised at being caught. They hurried over to a window and jumped right through it. The clamor of shattering glass gave those in the auditorium yet another fright.

"H-Hey, get back here!" Sam shoved her way through the crowd. There were far too many of them blocking her path though. "They're getting away!"

At last, the lights popped back on. Dyson, standing by the circuit breaker, curled his lips.

"So, it wasn't a power outage," he noted. "Someone's been messing with this."

But why? He was hard-pressed to think of any logical reasons, though he tried his best to do so anyway. Breaking him from his deep thinking was Sam screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Whoa! What's wrong? Are you hurt, Sam?"

"M-M-M-M-M-M-M…!"

"English, Sammy. English," Clover suggested.

"M-My science project…!" an absolutely horrified Sam began. "It's _gone_!"

She was right; the Perspiration Converter and Refiner was nowhere to be found. The awful smell stemming from it was gone too.

"And this is a...bad thing?" asked Clover honestly.  
"Looks like Sam wasn't the only one whose project was stolen."

Alex pointed to all the sobbing geeks who were missing the experiments so much hard love and labor had gone into. She might not have understood them, but she at least pitied them.

"Unreal," remarked Dyson, astonished. "How could someone have done all this so fast? The lights weren't even off for five minutes."

Clover plugged her ears. "Great! The only thing more annoying than nerds is _crying_ nerds!"

There was just one entrant who wasn't bawling his eyes out: a pencil-thin, buck-toothed student who was fortunate enough to still have his project. Maybe it having to do with recycling fingernails into cardboard had something to do with the thief wanting no part of it. All eyes fell upon him, eyes teeming with suspicion.

"H-Hey! It wasn't me! I swear!" he pleaded. "I don't know what the heck is going on either!"

Convincing, but not convincing enough. A mob of geeks converged on him, and all of them were ready to rip the cowering buck-toothed boy apart.

"I-I said back off, you freaks!" he hollered in a high-pitch voice, waving his project around as a weapon.

"Everyone should just chillax!" Clover shouted. Her beauty got the nerds to do as she commanded, though she was hardly flattered. "Ugh. So gross…"

"It wasn't him!" added Sam. "He didn't move an inch. Besides, I saw the _real_ culprit jump out of the window."

"You did? That's amazing, Sam. It was pitch black," said Dyson. Sam blushed a tad bit. "Say, what's with those sunglasses? Were you wearing those the whole time?"

Gasping, Sam hastily removed the Heat Sensor 6000 Infrared Motion Detector Sunglasses from her face.

"Well, anyway, if you really did see the culprit, they couldn't have gotten that far. I'll go after them! If it's catching someone, you can leave that to me. Everyone else should stay here in case the person comes back! Oh, and call the police!"

Dyson was gone faster than anyone could protest.

"He seemed kind of mad," said Alex.

"I guess that means he really _is_ a geek," moaned Clover. "Why else would he get upset over a bunch of nerdy science projects?"

Speaking of mad, Sam positively seethed with anger. "Come on, girls! We're going after the jerk who did this too! They are _so_ dead! Nobody is taking my first place prize away!"

"Just forget about the smelly thing already!" argued Clover.

"Yeah. Won't they totally cancel the science fair after all this?" added Alex.

"...Would you two like to say all that again?" Sam spoke in a calm, even collected tone. Her bloodthirsty expression didn't remotely match, however. " _I said_ we're going after that good for nothing thief! Do I make myself clear?"

Crystal. Clover and Alex, shaking like leaves, simply nodded. They made sure to keep close behind her as the three jumped through the same window their mysterious suspect had used as an escape route.

"Hey, if one of you shove me again, I'll show you these biceps aren't just for converting oxygen into adenosine triphosphate!" the bucktoothed boy warned the testy crowd still surrounding him.

It seemed Sam's rage was contagious.

 **END**


	5. (3) Unexpected Circumstances

**(3) UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES**

Even track stars had their limits. Dyson Glee was no exception.

"Darn it! I can't believe I let them get away!"

It was a strange feeling. He could run a whole relay race without breaking a sweat, but chasing bad guys left him unable to catch his breath.

"Who _was_ that? To be able to outrun me…"

He moved his head up. Maybe running for miles on end wasn't such a good idea. He recognized nothing around him and guessed he had to be in some random Malibu suburb.

"H-How many miles have I been running? Sheesh..."

He decided catching a bus back to school was in his best interest.

Chasing a thief that had stolen everyone's science projects back at Mali-U should have been a cinch for him. Instead, he had nothing but the bitter taste of defeat to keep him company.

Still, as disappointed as he was, he couldn't help but smile thinly.

"Looks like I've finally met my match. I'd ask them for a rematch if they weren't a dirty, rotten thief. Now then…"

No matter how fast they were, he figured they should have still been close-by.

"I'll keep looking. Maybe…"

His body gave him a resounding 'no' by sending white hot pain through his nerves. Laughing as he took a seat on the sidewalk, he was grateful no one was around to see the great Dyson Glee unable to move a muscle.

"Huh? Who's there?!"

This was no time to rest. Dyson jumped back to his feet, sensing someone nearby. His instincts were spot on.

A tall figure in black stood before him. Caught by surprise, he took a defensive stance, unsure of where they came from. He had only looked down for a second. The hood his new acquaintance wore made it impossible to tell who they were. He could, however, discern the dazzling, blue eyes peering back at him.

"Hello there," he said, a bit unnerved. His own eyes moved down to the brown sack the mysterious figure held. There was no doubt about it. He had his man. "So, _you're_ the science fair bandit, eh?"

The thief offered no reply.

"Okay. Who are you? Why are you going around stealing science projects?"

Again, the culprit remained as quiet as a mouse. Dyson's frustration mounted.

"You're not very talkative, are you? Forget it. Just give back all that stuff, alright? A lot of people worked hard on those projects. Do you...understand?"

Unexpectedly, the hooded person nodded. They pulled the sack farther back though, quietly proclaiming they weren't about to give into his demands.

Dyson sighed. "Well, I really didn't want to have to use force, but…"

He made a move for the bag, closing the gap between him and the thief in the blink of an eye. He was fast.

Just not fast enough.

The person in black had somehow gotten across the street in a matter of seconds. Undeterred, Dyson charged after them. Just as his fingertips would have touched the bag, the thief flipped right over his head, landing gracefully with the goods still in hand.

"Wow. You're pretty good. No. You're _great_!"

Dyson was aware complementing his advisary when he still had a job to do was a waste of time. He just couldn't help himself. This was the most fun he could recall having in awhile, even better than the relay race.

"You know, if the circumstances were different, I'd ask you to join our track team. Someone with your skills would make us unstoppable."

His statement rang inside the hooded individual's mind like a bell. They clasped their head as if they were in pain. Dyson picked up on this and raised his guard again, assured the person in front of him was plotting something.

"Track...team? The...Mali-U...track team?"

Dyson wasn't expecting to hear that.

He also hadn't anticipated a _girl's_ voice, soft but stern, coming from the thief.

"Y-You're a girl?" Dyson groaned. That changed everything. "Cut me a break. I was going to take that bag by force, but I'm no good at fighting girls. Who are you anyway? How did you know I was from Malibu University? Have we met?"

The mysterious girl had no urge to duke it out either. She gave Dyson another hard and long once over before making a break for it.

"Whoa! Hold on a sec! I just want to talk!"

Dyson made chase and wasn't sure why whoever this was got his heart beating so fast. He wasn't even following them for the stolen science projects anymore.

Most importantly, he had to know why someone with such beautiful eyes had so much sadness in them.

The hooded girl wasn't interested in chatting. She chucked a number of smoke bombs at him. They burst at his feet, completely blinding him.

"She's just full of tricks, isn't she?"

He shielded his face until the haze cleared. Naturally, the science project thief was nowhere to be found. He debated on making chase but had a good feeling he wouldn't be able to track her down this time.

"Unreal. She beat me not once but _twice_. And in the same day no less." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, feeling foolish. "Okay, mystery girl. You've got my attention. I'm really hoping we..."

"Dyson!"

The person in question turned around to the trio of voices calling him.

"L-Looks like we've finally caught up," said Sam between sharp gasps of air.

"W-We could've _at least_ taken my car if we were gonna kill ourselves running like this, Sammy!" whined Clover. Unable to stand any longer, she collapsed bottom-first. "Ugh! This sun is a total killer on my complexion!"

Alex plopped down next to her. "My thighs are _on fire_!"

Dyson flashed the girls his signature smile. They were in agony, but it couldn't help but brighten their moods and turn their hearts aflutter.

"Your form needs a bit of work, Alex, but that's probably due to rust. Other than that, you're just as good as I remember. Man, you must have some superhuman healing factor. That ankle looks like it's holding up well."

Her ankle. Right. It was supposed to be sprained. Alex, as red as a tomato, quickly hid her face and her aforementioned ankle.

"Did you girls seriously come all the way out here after me? While I appreciate the sentiment, you didn't have to go that far."

" _Now_ you tell us?" growled Clover. "I usually have a soft spot for cute boys like you, but...who told you to storm out of the auditorium by yourself?!"

A bit frightened, Dyson inched away from her and held his arms of defensively.

"She's right. That _was_ reckless," said Sam, a _much_ calmer Sam. "We're glad you're alright, but you didn't know what that thief was capable of."

"Speaking of which, where did they get off to?" asked Alex.

"No clue. Sorry." Dyson was keen to leave out the part about being outran. "You're absolutely right about me being reckless. I wasn't thinking. I...just couldn't sit back and do nothing though. Everyone at the science fair poured their blood, sweat, and tears into their projects. Just seeing them taken away like that really got to me. It's like when I'm running. I wouldn't want someone to just...snatch that away from."

"Dramatic much?" said Clover. Her tone was playful, letting Dyson know she wasn't trying to make fun of him. "You're so totally a dork, aren't you? You know, it's kind of adorable."

"Uh...thanks. I guess."

"No, we're sorry too," said Sam. "I guess we'd forgotten how seriously you take track. Here we are screaming your head off when you were only trying to do the right thing."

"Thanks, Sam. That means a lot to me. You're very kind."

"H-Huh?! W-Who…? M-Me? Um...I-I just..."

Sam could feel the heat rising to her head. She copied Alex by hiding her giddy expression behind her hands.

Clover, curling her lips, shouted, "And what am I, chopped liver?"

Dyson chuckled. "Of course not. You're pretty awesome yourself, Clover. It's a little embarrassing being called 'adorable,' but if it's you, I'll take it as a complement of the highest order."

Clover was the one blushing heavily now. With hearts in her eyes, she got ready to ask Mali-U's shining star out on a nice, romantic date.

"Hold on, Dyson. You're hurt!"

That was until Alex got in the way. She shoved Clover aside to bandage a small cut on Dyson's right arm. Willing to give her to the benefit of the doubt, Clover changed her mind the second Alex turned her head back to her and stuck out her tongue.

"Y-You dirty little…!"

"Oh, thanks, Alex," said Dyson, oblivious to the drama unfolding around him. "I must have nicked myself while dealing with that girl."

Alex heard nothing he said, in a trance as she touched his soft skin. It was taking everything in Clover's power not to strangle her.

Sam, on the other hand, was a bit more attentive. "Girl? What girl?"

"The thief. She got away before I could get a chance to get everyone's stuff back. I'm real sorry, girls."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the phone," said Clover. "You're _sure_ it was a girl?"

"I mean, I couldn't get a look at her face from under the hood, and she _was_ rather tall, but there's no doubt about it. I heard her talk."

It was time for a team meeting. Ignoring Dyson's gazing at them in uncertainty, Sam, Alex and Clover huddled up. They moved far enough away from him so he couldn't overhear.

"Do you think he's talking about that crazy strong person that stole that thingy from Geraldine's robot and attacked you, Sam?" asked Clover.

"The description sure matches. Then again, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"They _did_ steal all the stuff from the science fair though, just as I predicted," said Clover pridefully. Alex rolled her eyes, whereas Sam smiled weakly. "It's _gotta_ be the same guy...er...girl. Whatever!"

The Spies nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Then the next thing we have to do is track them down before they ruin anyone else's life," Sam stated.

"How do we do that?" said Alex.

"Yeah. If Dyson couldn't catch up to them..." added Clover.

"We don't have time to complain. Remember—this is SOAP we're dealing with," said Sam, speaking in a grave tone. Alex gulped. Clover groaned. "The longer we sit here talking about it, the more time we're giving our thief time to finish doing whatever it is she's doing. If we're going to stop SOAP, we have to do it _right now_."

"You make it sound so easy…" mumbled Alex.

"Does this mean we have to run some more?" whined Clover. "What, is my skin totally not ruined enough for you, Sammy?!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking! We're going whether you both like it or not! We're the only ones who can do this!"

The three nodded again and finally broke apart.

"You girls done with...whatever you were doing?" asked Dyson tepidly. "If so, do you mind if I ask some questions?"

"It would probably be better if you didn't," said Sam honestly.

"In fact, forget all this ever happened," insisted Clover.

"We'll handle things from here!" proclaimed Alex.

None of what they were telling him was what Dyson yearned to hear. They had to have know _something_. It was frustrating.

Nevertheless, he found himself humored.

"Man, I really hate being out of the loop like this," he said with a shrug. "But what can I do? Something tells me no matter how much I begged, you three still wouldn't tell me anything. Okay. Once again, I'm going to have to sit on the sidelines and let you girls take care of everything. Just promise me one thing—whatever you do, make sure to be careful, alright?"

Already swept of their feet, Sam, Alex and Clover could hardly take any more of Dyson Glee's perfect smile.

"Oh, and that girl from before," he continued, pointing behind the Spies. "I'm confident she went that way. She has a pretty good head start on you, but if it's you three, you'll probably be able to catch up."

"Thanks, Dyson. You're the best," said Sam.

"I'll make you and the rest of the track team proud!" Alex said with vigor.

"I'm sure you will," said Dyson warmly. "Now then. You'd better get going."

"W-Wait! I still didn't get a chance to ask him out. Ugh! You two are _so_ doing this on purpose!" cried Clover as Sam and Alex began dragging her along with them. "Dyson, call me!"

Dyson waved as they got farther and farther away.

"What was that for?!" shouted Clover when Dyson was no longer in sight.

"Focus on the mission, Clover," said Sam, hiding a sinister smirk from her friend. "This is no time to be chasing boys."

"Oh, like you totally weren't drooling over him yourself." In a mocking tone, Clover added, "'Oh, what's your favorite class? Quantum physics? Me too!'"

Red-faced, Sam replied, "I-I don't sound anything like that! And I wasn't…!"

"Where are we going?" asked Alex, making Sam and Clover freeze. "I know Dyson said to go this way, but…"

"I'm sure there's...um...something this way," said Sam sheepishly.

"That doesn't sound like much of plan…"

"You got a better idea?" asked Clover, irritated by both from running and Sam ruining her love life.

"I'm just asking! What crawled up your butt and died?"

"Whatever it is can't smell as bad at my science project." Plugging her nose with some paper, a sour-faced Sam noted a foul scene was still intruding upon her nostrils. "Phew! It was definitely here alright. It smells like a pack of spoiled eggs mixed with dirty underwear!"

"Quit talking about things up my butt!" hollered Clover.

"Ha! So there _is_ something there! I knew it!" proclaimed Alex.

Steaming mad, Clover shouted, "Oh, that is it, missy!"

Dyson might not have been able to see the girls anymore, but he could sure hear them fussing and fighting.

"They sure do have a lot of energy. They'll be fine." He shifted his head up toward the sky. The sun was beginning to set, painting the area, and Dyson, in an orange glow. "Things are really picking up, aren't they? Looks like I'm going to have to keep a close eye on how things turn out after all."

#

She glanced over her shoulder. She had lost count of how many times she had done so. No one was following her.

Then again, it wasn't like any normal human would be able to keep up.

The science project thief was in forest littered with gangly trees and thick branches. She leapt from tree to tree, moving as fast as the wind. She would be home soon. Today's mission had been her most exhausting yet, but with a bag full of prizes in hand, it would be well worth the hardship.

The woman arrived at an expansive clearing. Anyone with working eyesight would be able to tell it was man made, but other than a lone bush in the center, nothing about it would have aroused suspicion. She approached the bush, taking one last gander around to ensure the coast was clear.

Nothing but the birds chirping in the trees and a few curious squirrels.

Leaning over the foliage, she said a low, dull tone, "Long live SOAP. Down with WHOOP."

The ground began to shake. The woman didn't flinch, not even when the bush slid across the ground to reveal a winding staircase. Despite it being pitch black, she hurried downward, the bush returning its original spot as she vanished.

The only sounds she could hear as she made her way down were the clacking of her heeled boots against the concrete and the brown sack of stolen goods being dragged. Lights on the sides of the stairs illuminated her path, allowing her some idea of where she was going. This stairway, like always to her, seemed to go on forever.

Eventually, she arrived in front of and then made her way through a pair of giant, steel doors. They opened with a grating creak. It usually took two or three men to get push them, but for her, it was as easy as breathing.

Traverse a winding series of corridors came next. They were designed to keep any intruders wandering around for all eternity. Unfortunately, this could also apply to any SOAP operative. It took most ages to remember the exact pattern to reach their leader's office. It was far too easy to take the wrong turn, going left instead of the all important right—the right led to a nasty pit of spikes that easily ruined anyone's day.

The hooded girl reached her destination after a bit of tricky navigating. Although it had been a trying task, she showed no displeasure on her face. She simply walked across the huge, grey, and circular room awaiting her. It was indeed expansive, yet, there wasn't much to see other than a desk in the center and a large monitor behind it. Getting there required one to trek down the lavish, crimson carpet leading to it. The woman did just that and dropped down to one knee. At the same time, a person sitting in a swiveling chair adjusted it so that he was facing her.

"So, you've finally returned."

Claw, the new leader of SOAP, eyed his subordinate inquisitively, stroking the purring, white cat resting on his lap. The girl in the cloak didn't move, not out of fear but because it wasn't her place to question her superiors. After determining nothing amiss, Claw turned his chair again, facing the blank monitor.

"Was your mission a success then?"

His operative presented her bag of spoils. Claw squealed like a little girl, tossed his cat away, and hungrily peered inside the sack. The white cat let out a high-pitched yelp as it soared through the air. Feeling sorry for it, the hooded woman caught it before it could likely broke every bone in its body on the hard floor.

Claw's face gradually soured on account of the run of the mill science projects his agent had brought back. "This...isn't exactly what I had in mind when I ordered you to steal more energy sources for me."

The hooded girl, as if processing the complaint, didn't answer immediately.

"...Those items will help you power the ultimate weapon," she eventually said in the same soft and lifeless tone. "I have confirmed they are compatible despite their... _rough_ appearances."

Claw's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Is that so? Excellent! Most excellent! You've done a wonderful job, my faithful subordinate. Thanks to your efforts, a _new_ era is about to be ushered! Yes, under my watchful eyes and genius, SOAP will at last rise from the ashes to take control of this fractured, pitiful excuse for a world! Yes, in this _new_ world, we shall…"

The cat in the cloaked figure's arms began licking her face tenderly. It garnered no reaction out of her. It _did_ manage to agitate Claw enough that he lost his train of thought. It was time to end the problem at its source. The feline put up quite the fuss, but he snatched it away from his subordinate and gave her a dirty look while he was at it.

"While you may have done a good job today, that _doesn't_ mean you're allowed to put your hands on my priceless pussy cat!"

The object of his ire merely nodded.

"Good. Now then, let us see what else you have procor...procare...pro...pro…"

"Procured. sir."

"I knew that! Don't back talk me!"

"My apologies, sir."

"Good. Very good." Claw emptied his throat awkwardly. "Let's see what else you've _brought me_ , Miss Smarty Pants!"

By coincidence, Claw plucked Sam's Perspiration Converter and Refiner out of the bag. The foul stench of sweat wafted from it and spread all throughout the room. The cat gagged. The hooded girl, meanwhile, choked a bit and had to cough to get the horrible taste out of her mouth.

And then there was Claw.

"Fascinating," he said, enthralled by the various tubes on the project. He was so intrigued, in fact, that he wasn't aware his office reeked of moldy cheese and feet. Or that his cat was foaming at the mouth. "This would appear to be some sort of complex drinking straw!"

He said that with far too much enthusiasm. One of the cloaked woman's eyelids twitched.

"I'm not sure how this contraption will help me power the ultimate weapon, but I at least finally have something to drink my juice in the afternoon. Well done again, my faithful operative."

The female spy nodded once more. Meanwhile, the white cat had come back to life. However, it was going crazy on Claw's lap because of the awful smell, scratching and shrieking at every waking second.

"Wait a moment. What in the world is _that_?" he inquired, finally put his nose to use. "My, what is that heavenly aroma? Perhaps this is actually a device for creating cologne? Ah, now I see! I must sample some for myself when the opportunity arises. You there! Put this in my quarters for safekeeping. If anyone finds out about this miracle invention, they'll no doubt try to steal some cologne for themselves!"

Obediently, the cloaked woman took Sam's project, bowed, and stepped away.

Claw's cat continued squirmed about, desperately attempting to go after the girl. It felt it was in better hand with her versus the lunatic trying to hold it down.

"What is the matter with you today?" Claw wondered. Even the cat swiping at his face didn't clue him in on its true feelings. "If this is about you wanting some cologne too, you'll just have to be patient! I'm sure there's plenty for both of us."

"Claw. We need to talk."

Claw nearly peed his pants. The monitor behind him suddenly flickered to life, and a deep, distorted voice called out to him. With his hand over his pounding chest, he hurriedly rotated his chair around, almost breaking it. A heavy dose of static on the screen obscured an already shadowy silhouette. If he was being honest, Claw hoped the signal would cut out all together.

"M-Mr. X! It's a...um...honor to speak with you, my liege." He straightened his clothing and gave Mr. X a salute. Upon noticing he was using his golden claw to do so, he made haste to switch to his flesh and bone hand. "Was there...something you needed?"

"...I need a status report. How is the plan proceeding?"

"Um...y-you want one now, sir? Because we're a little bit…"

" _Now_ , Claw."

He could admit it. He was terrified out of his mind. He shook like a leaf, struggling to keep his bowels in check again. If there was some magical way out of this mess, he craved to learn the spell and fast. He might not have been able to see Mr. X well, but he could tell the man was scowling at him like he the lowest form of life on the planet.

"N-Now," he stammered, using a towel to wipe his sweaty forehead. "Right. Now. Of course, my liege. Things are moving along rather smoothly. I have a most capable operative scouring the globe for suitable power sources as you requested. The 'ultimate weapon' will be completed in due time. You have my word on that, my liege. We simply ask for a bit more time."

"...And are those some of the mentioned 'power sources' on your desk?"

Claw, gulping, moved his eyes back to them. "Um...o-of course not, you silly goose! W-What possible use could such trinkets have to SOAP? O-One of my agents obviously just brought them to me by mistake! Yeah, that's it…"

He basically jumped onto his desk, shoving the science projects back into the bag as if his life depended on it. He then faced the giant monitor once more. He had perspired enough to soak his suit, and yet, he forced himself to smile.

If Mr. X was upset, he didn't chastise his subordinate. Rather, the enigmatic entity said, "Though I'm certain you understand this by now, Claw, but any failure on your part will not be tolerated. You will finish Scar's great work and help Spies Organized Against Peace to the height of its power. To that end, I will warn you only this once not to pull another foolish stunt like sending WHOOP word of our plans in advance. We could have operated in total secrecy to gather our forces, yet, thanks to that mouth of yours, Jerry Lewis and his accursed operatives will be watching our move."

"M-My apologies, my liege." Claw was so scared at this point, his words were starting to come out only slightly louder than a whisper. "I...simply thought we could strike fear into the hearts of our most hated enemy by letting them know that despite their best efforts, the mighty SOAP was alive and well! My message has no doubt caused them to panic while they were in the midst of rebuilding, hindering these efforts."

It was risky to speak back to his leader like this, but Claw, staring a hole into the carpet, knew his actions had been in SOAP's best interest.

Plus, he just really liked talking in front of a camera. It seemed a shame to keep his good looks to himself.

"What are you doing?" asked Mr. X.

"N-Nothing, my liege," answered Claw. Having momentarily forgotten where he was, he had been sweeping his hand through his hair while posing. Speaking so only he could hear, he added, "He must never know of my aspirations to become a supermodel once all of this is said and done."

"I suppose there is some truth to what you are saying. The enemy is weak; even now, they are no doubt at a loss on how to find us. It is also true that WHOOP would have stumbled upon what we were doing eventually. I will overlook your rash actions, Claw. However, know that my mercy only goes so far. If you dare pull another stunt like this without first consulting me…"

"No! Of course not, my liege!" Claw got down on his knees. "You're so kind! So wonderful! So compassionate! So…"

"Enough."

Claw half near sprained his ankle standing up so fast. "Of course."

"Good. Now then, listen well. We must speed up creation of the ultimate weapon _before_ WHOOP can meddle in our affairs yet again. Though weak they are, SOAP is not as fearsome as it once was either. We cannot afford to take them on until the work you are overseeing is complete. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, my liege! One-hundred percent! You're coming in loud and…"

"Enough."

"O-Of course…" Clearing his throat, Claw fiddled with his tie as well. Neither act made him any more comfortable. "I'll have my operative dispatched again on the double. As soon as our trump card is at our disposal, WHOOP...nay, the _entire world_ will be able to do nothing but cower in fear!"

"...See to it that is the case, Claw. I will be watching...and waiting."

"W-Wonderful…"

Claw fanned himself as Mr. X's murky image faded at last. The moment it did, Claw inhaled for the first time in ages, sinking to the floor like a wet noodle.

"Man, I freaking _hate_ that dude!" he shouted without caring who heard him. "He's scary as all hell! That was way too god damn close! I thought that bastard was going to come through the screen and choke the life out of me! I'd like to see him try! I bet he doesn't even have the guts, the spineless coward! That's right, punk! Hide behind your dirty little screen and cower before me! Soon, the rest of the world will be doing the same! I am Claw, the almighty leader of Spies Organized Against Peace! If that man were smart, he would stop getting in my way and watch as a master goes to work! Soon, our roles will be reversed! He'll be working for _me_! And then I'll boss him around and make him build stupid ultimate weapons for _me_! I tell you, greatness just isn't appreciated like it once…"

"Claw. There is one more thing I need to inquire about."

The' 'almighty leader of SOAP' choked on his own tongue. Mr. X was back, and saluting with both hand and claw this time, a shuttering Claw prayed to every deity out there he hadn't been overheard.

"H-How can I be of further use to you, my liege?" he squeaked.

"You mentioned an 'operative' before. Is it _her_?"

"Yes, my liege. You've given me a most wonderful toy. She is without the best spy at my disposal, even if something about her kind of gives me the creeps…"

"Be especially careful with that one, Claw."

"Careful, sir? No need to fear. That one listens to everything I have to say without fail. In fact, she…"

"Listen to something besides your own mouth for once. That woman is _special_. You must keep a close eye on her. Do you understand?"

"I-I do, my liege."

Claw really didn't, but he wasn't about to argue with a man who could have him killed on the spot.

"Good. You will contact me at once if there are any updates concerning the ultimate weapon."

The monitor clicked off once more. Claw just stood there like an idiot, not daring speak until he was one hundred—no, _one million_ —percent certain Mr. X wasn't coming back.

His poor bladder couldn't take much more of this.

His cat strolled over to him and curled itself up in his arms.

"At least I still have _you_ by my side."

He also had its claws slicing his nose. While he hollered in anguish, the fine feline meowed and proudly trotted off.

Claw, holding the bleeding spot, cried, "What was _that_ for, you stupid furball?! Hey, get back here and fight me like a man! Er...animal! Whatever!"

#

It took them nearly half the day. The hot California sun had nearly roasted them to death. They hadn't even had a chance to drink double espressos to keep their energy up.

But they ha made it.

The dead tired trio of Sam, Alex and Clover had finally traveled through the forest and arrived at a clearing. Their reward—a single, lonely bush sitting in the middle of it all. They gazed at it in infuriated silence. There _had_ to be something more. They had worked too hard to find absolutely nothing.

"Worst...camping trip...ever!" wheezed Clover. She picked some sticks and leaves off her blonde hair and red catsuit. "Was Dyson _sure_ he saw that crazy chick come this way? He might need glasses!"

"Can we go home now?" groaned Alex. "These mosquitoes are eating me alive!"

She swatted a swarm buzzing around her head. It only served to anger them. She ran about like a headless chicken when they sought revenge.

Sam watched her until she became too dizzy to do so. "Besides a bear or two, we haven't bumped into anything of interest. How could someone just vanish into thin air? And no, Alex, she isn't a ghost! There's no such things as ghosts!"

Alex put her finger down and crossed her arms, not fully convinced.

"Well, this sucks!" said Clover, stating the obvious. "We barely had any leads on SOAP to begin with, and now the one person that could've helped us is nowhere to be found! If only Mandy was just as good at vanishing!"

"What about that thingy?" suggested Alex. She was pointing at the inconspicuous bush.

"What about it? It's just a stupid bush."

"Or is it?" Sam busted out the Wind Tunnel 9000 Turbo Blast Hair Dryer. "Isn't it kind of odd there isn't any more of these growing around here? It's in a weird spot, a spot weird enough that maybe…"

It was worth a shot. She aimed her gadget at the bush, burning it to cinders with the flick of the trigger.

"No way!" exclaimed Clover.

" _Way_!" said Sam excitedly. "Yeah!"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" said an astonished Alex. "A staircase? In the middle of a forest? Hidden only by a stinkin' _bush_? Okay, I might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but this is _beyond_ stupid!"

"I think you mean brightest crayon. Or sharpest tool," said Sam.

"Who cares about lame analogies right now? Girls, we've hit the jackpot!" said Clover, winking. "Who do you think it leads to?"

A secret base hidden by a bush. In the middle of a wide open clearing. In an otherwise densely populated forest. The three didn't have to think long at all to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Claw," they all said in unison.

"It's gotta be him," added Alex.

"Probably," conceded Sam. "Still, we shouldn't just assume this is SOAP's main base. There's one way to find out though. Come on, girls. It's spy time!"

Down the staircase they went, their footsteps clattering behind them.

"Of course it's totally dark down here," voiced Clover. "Nobody step on my feet! I totally just got a pedicure a few hours ago."

"W-When did you have time to do that?" asked Sam in disbelief.

"Yeah, and why did you take us with you?!" Alex demanded to know.

"Sorry, girls, but if fashion doesn't wait around, neither do I!" answered Clover.

Though annoyed, Sam and Alex were even more irked at arriving in front of a complex network of corridors.

"W-Which way are we supposed to go?" questioned Clover.

"Looks like you're feet are gonna be in trouble after all, Clover," said Alex. "We're gonna have a ton of walking to do at this rate."

"Or maybe not," said Sam. It was time to employ another gadget. Putting on the Heat Sensor 6000 Infrared Motion Detector Sunglasses, she took a good look around. "Strange. For such a big place, there doesn't seem to be anyone here. ...No, wait! There's someone in one of the center rooms!"

"Then that's where we're going!" said Clover. She pointed to Sam's sunglasses, adding, "And this is why I so love accessorizing."

The room Sam mentioned wasn't that far off, though the Spies realized it would have taken them ages to stumble upon it without the sunglasses.

"In here!" said Sam, motioning toward the double doors ahead.

This was it. It was time to face the unknown. The steel doors wouldn't budge at first, but with a combined shoulder charge, the three got that obstacle out of the way.

Upon entering the rather large room awaiting them, the trio took fighting poses, ready to fight off all of SOAP if they had to. They blankly searched around, soon coming to the realization they were all alone.

"Um...where the heck _is_ everyone?" said Alex. "Hello? Anyone home?"

Her voice bounced off the walls but garnered no reply.

"Nice security," said Clover. She soon laid eyes on the huge monitor behind the desk in the center, and they lit up. "Ooooh! This would totally look good in our living room! Can we take it? Please? Pretty please?"

"It's not like it's ours. Besides, I don't think Jerry would want us to become the criminals we're always trying to catch. He's already naggy as it is," replied Sam sternly, making Clover frown. She felt Sam was one to talk. "This place is _huge_ though. It's definitely some sort of base of operations."

She put the Heat Sensor 6000 Infrared Motion Detector Sunglasses to use again.

"See anything?" asked Alex.

"No. Nothing at all." Sam removed the glasses and put her finger on her chin. "I could have sworn I saw someone in this room earlier."

"If you ask me, whoever was here cleared out in a hurry," said Clover. "Okay, let's go home then. I could use about a dozen showers after all that running and crawling through that icky forest."

"Sorry, Clover, but we still have a job to do here. If this really _is_ a SOAP base, we can't leave even a single room unchecked, even if there's no one here. There could be some sort of clue as to where everyone went, or at the very least, what they were doing here. Let's split up and take a closer look around."

Sam was the first to run off, intent on scouring the next room.

Clover put her hands on her hips. "Suspicious much? Who does she think she's fooling?"

"Yeah, she totally just wants to look for her groady science project," said Alex, sticking out her tongue in disgust. "We'd better start looking around too."

Sam took the north, Clover the west, and Alex the east. The base was as gigantic as Sam claimed, spanning underneath the entire forest by her estimation. Even with them working in tandem, it took the Spies a _very_ long time comb every nook and cranny.

When they finished, they dragged their exhausted selves toward the south of the base, the last place in need of checking. All three were too tuckered out to say anything, all silently agreeing to catch their breaths first.

"A-Anything?" muttered Sam. Clover and Alex shook their heads wearily. "I couldn't find anyone's science projects. T-This is _really_ bad! What if the judges back at the science fair leave before getting a chance to grade my project?!"

Clover blinked a few times. "Uh...hello! I think you're missing the point!"

"Hey, there's another one of those TVs here."

Sam and Clover looked to where Alex was pointing. Sure enough, there _was_ another monitor hanging from the wall. This one was a more manageable size. The area they were in appeared to be some sort of rest area. There were tables, chairs, and even a vending machine in the corner.

"It looks like a cafeteria," remarked Sam. "So there _were_ people here at one time or another."

"What are you doing, Alex? We don't have time for that," said Clover.

Alex, about to put a quarter in the vending machine full of delicious looking snacks, replied, "But I'm starving! I haven't eaten anything since before we got to that science fair, and they've got my favorite brand of chips in here."

"Forget it, Alex. Clover's right. Besides, we don't know where that food has been."

Although visibly heartbroken, Alex sniffled and pocketed her money.

"Yes, you should listen to your friend, foolish WHOOP spy. Junk food is rather unhealthy for a girl your age. It'll go straight to your hips. Then again, you're already looking a bit chunky in that area."

Blushing furiously, an irate Alex was going to kill whoever said that. It would be a difficult task. That person was smirking at the Spies from the safety of the monitor in the room.

"Claw!" they all shouted.

"Very good. You remembered my name," said Claw, sitting in his swivel chair. "So, you three managed to stumble upon my hidden base. Impressive. My benefactor was wise to warn me of your skills.

"As I'm sure you've already realized, there isn't anyone there. One of my operatives tipped me off that you were possibly on the way. Myself and the rest of SOAP have already transported ourselves and our belongings to another of our bases. Aw. Just look at your faces. Did you expect to just waltz in here and apprehend me? How ridiculous. It's a bit insulting to think three silly teenagers would be able to catch the likes of me."

The Spies thought that a rather silly thing to say. Claw couldn't have been that much older than them. In fact, they were sure they were about the same age.

"Why are you three staring at me like that?" asked a suspicious Claw. "I know I'm devilishly handsome, but teenagers like you are certainly distracted easily, aren't you?"

"Are you only talking to us to brag, Claw, or did you want something?" asked Sam, already tired of hearing his loose lips.

"You're better off just telling us where you are so we can end this already," Clover recommended. "I've got a track star's number I need to get, pal!"

"Hey! _I_ was gonna ask for his number after this!" snapped Alex. "You totally stole my idea!"

"First come, first serve!"

"Quit arguing already, girls," said Sam. "Besides, if Dyson is interested in _anyone_ , it's _obviously_ me. I mean, we have the same interests and everything!"

Clover gasped. "You little sneak! H-He was only saying he liked that dorky stuff just so he wouldn't hurt your feelings! He was _obviously_ looking at _me_ when he said that!"

" _I'm_ the one he runs track with all the time!" argued Alex. "You guys don't know him like I do!"

"Oh, please!" Sam rolled her eyes. "Says the girl who pretended her leg didn't work just to get out a track meet!"

Alex was fuming now. "Oh yeah?! You probably scared Dyson away with your stinky science project! All of us are so going to have to shower for _weeks_ to wash the smell away!"

"I-It wasn't _that_ bad! I-I mean…"

"Okay, I know we're totally fighting right now, but Alex is right. It really _did_ stink," Clover felt compelled to say.

"...What the hell is going on?"

Claw sat in utter vexation as the Spies continued to verbally go for each other's throats. None of them were paying him any attention, a fact that was getting him cranky too.

"Hey, ladies!" he shouted. His words, however, were drowned out by theirs. "Teenage girls are...rather scary, aren't they?"

And also confusing in his opinion. Like a flipping light switch, Sam, Alex and Clover suddenly became as quiet as mice.

"How was that, Jerry?"

"Very good, Sam. That whole 'discussion' got rather personal, but you bought me plenty of time to trace where Claw is broadcasting from."

Overhearing this, Claw's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "...Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Jerry?"

"Ha! Clueless much? I can't believe you feel for that!" said a grinning Clover.

"Wow. That _was_ good. I almost forgot we were acting," said Alex. "...Y-You girls wouldn't get Dyson's number behind my back, right? ….R-Right?"

Sam and Clover whistled and looked away, opting to sidestep that one.

"W-Would someone _please_ explain to me what's happening?!" blared Claw.

"Oh, nothing much," answered Sam. "We just needed to keep you on the line as long as possible so Jerry could figure out where you were."

"So, you pretended to nearly kill one another to keep me distracted?" Claw sounded even more perplexed than before. "D-Don't people normally keep someone talking for as long as possible?"

"Ew. _No one_ wants to hear _you_ talk," said Clover quite scathingly.

"And this way was more fun!" explained Alex.

"B-But when did you even get on the line with your boss to tell him of your little plan?! I've been looking and talking with you three the whole time!" said Claw.

"A spy never reveals their secret," proclaimed Sam.

"That's just avoiding the question! Nothing about this makes any sense! Wait, why am I still talking?! I'm just giving your boss even more time to figure out where I am! Curses!" Claw turned to someone off camera. "We have to move everything! It's an emergency! ...Where? Don't ask where! Just move! _Move_!"

Sam, Alex, and Clover most definitely laughed at Claw and not with him.

"Oh, be quiet, you!" he barked. "I'm far too busy furthering my plans for world domination to deal with you brats any longer! You might be able to figure out where I am, but you seem to be under the impression you'll escape that place with your lives. Guess again!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" asked Sam.

"Just more crazy talk from a total whackjob," said Clover.

"Don't go anywhere now, okay?" said Alex cheerily. "We'll be there to pick you up in a little bit, alright?"

"Women really don't listen, do they?" Appearing far more confident, Claw wagged his finger. "You were under the impression you were alone in that place, but considering I'm a gentleman, I've left you a guest to... _play_ with so you're not unattended to. Have fun! See you again... _never_!"

The Spies didn't like the sound of that. Hearing someone approach from a nearby passageway didn't ease their fears either. Their 'guest' had arrived, and it was none other than the woman in the black cloak, someone who had caused them more than a fair share of trouble.

"G-Guess we found her after all," noted Alex with a weak laugh.

"Where is my...er... _everyone's_ science projects?!" Sam was quick to ask.

'I so can't believe _I'm_ saying this, but I think it's about time you focused on the mission, Sammy!" advised Clover.

With some reluctance, Sam nodded. "Go ahead and run for now, Claw. We're coming after you as soon as we finish your little servant here!"

"Oh, I'm _so_ scared," replied the leader of SOAP in an obvious display of sarcasm. "You're talking nonsense like usual. Do you _really_ think there's anything WHOOP can do to stop the completion of the ultimate weapon?"

"What ultimate weapon?" asked Alex.

It took a few seconds before Claw took heed of his mistake. "Oh, crap! I wasn't supposed to tell you guys about that! Turn off the camera! Turn it off _now_!"

As he was apt to, Claw left, leaving everyone with more questions than answers.

"Uh...that guy might be a total idiot, but if he really is building some kind of weapon, we need to stop him and fast!" said Alex.

"So _that's_ why he stole all those science projects! He's trying to build whatever that thingy is!" announced Clover.

"Yeah, and I know just the person who can tell us all about it!" said Sam.

The three zeroed in on the hooded figure, who seemed to be standing by for one of them to open hostilities.

Alex gulped. "I-Is it just me, or does she seem _really_ angry this time?"

"Like _way_ angry," added Clover. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end.

"Let's be real—she's not going to tell us anything without a fight," said Sam. "We already know what she's capable of, so we've gotta be careful, girls."

The three nodded ahead of circled their prey. The mysterious woman glanced at each of them in turn.

"...Destroy," she mumbled, assuming a fighting position. "I must...destroy you...WHOOP spies."

In the blink of an eye, she closed in on Alex and took her down with a clothesline. The victim flipped through the air a couple of times before hitting the ground with a thud.

"D-Did anyone get the number on that bus?" Alex said in a daze.

"Alex!" Clover rushed toward her friend, but the cloaked woman flipped through the air and nailed the blonde in the mouth with a kick, sending her soaring into a wall. "Ow! That really hurt, you jerk! You totally chipped one of my teeth! And I just got them whitened the other day!"

Sam, the last woman standing, smacked her lips and stood her ground. She would be lying if she said she wasn't out for a bit of revenge after being effortlessly dispatched during the first encounter with the hooded individual. This time, _she_ was going to make the first move. She did so by closing in and unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks. She was fast, yet, her adversary was faster. She easily parried or avoided everything Sam had to give her.

"Jeez! Maybe she really _is_ a robot!" cried Alex.

"Come on, Sammy! Kick that bimbo to the curb already!" shouted Clover.

Sam appreciated their support, but it wasn't from a lack of effort that she wasn't winning. Missing with a kick aimed at her foe's head, she switched things up, going for a leg sweep. The hooded woman countered even this, jumping over Sam's limb and using her head as a vault to get behind her. As Sam whirled around to attack again, her pupils shrank. Buried in her stomach was the cloaked woman's fist.

"Sam!" hollered Alex and Clover.

The bone shattering blow took the wind out of Sam and caused her to drop down to her knees.

Yet, she refused to succumb to it.

"Not...this time!" she breathed. "You're...not taking me down!"

It was all or nothing. She lunged at her attacker and knocked them both over. What followed was a tussle where limbs flailed every which way, leaving Alex and Clover baffled as to who was hitting who.

"Shouldn't we do something?" asked Alex.

Clover feverishly shook her head. "Uh uh! No way! I'm not getting in the middle of _that_!"

After receiving more lumps than she bargained for, the cloaked woman was through. She kicked Sam away and retreated a good distance away. For quite awhile, she did nothing more, just standing there.

"Um...I think you broke her, Sam," said Alex.

"Freaky much? What's she up to this time?" wondered Clover.

"Beats me," admitted Sam. "Just...stay on guard, girls."

"...Annoying." That was the first thing out of the hooded woman's lips. She grasped her heads with both hands. Then, for no discernable reason, she let out an absolutely blood curdling scream that forced the Spies to cover their ears. "ANNOYING! ANNOYING! ANNOYING! ANNOYING! ANNOYING!"

"Huh?! What's up with her?!" said a thoroughly freaked out Alex.

"Just how hard did you hit her?!" Clover asked Sam. "She's totally snapped!"

Considering the circumstances, Sam didn't think she should have felt any guilt. It was a member of SOAP they were talking about, after all.

Even so, it was hard to watch the SOAP spy drive her skull into the ground over and over. It was as if she were striving to drive something out of it.

"ANNOYING! ANNOYING! ANNOYI-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"  
The WHOOP spies looked at one another. They quietly wondered if they should have been doing something to stop her. They were far too mesmerized to move, far too appalled.

The woman stopped of her own volition. Her head moved up slowly. Blood was oozing out the spot that had gotten far too intimate with the ground, making Sam, Alex and Clover grimace. The woman herself didn't react to the burning pain.

No, she was far more concerned with something else.

"Destroy. Must...destroy...annoying...girls. Annoying…"

Like a machine, she made her way toward her targets, towards the people causing her so much suffering. Her fingers shook in anticipation of wrapping themselves around their necks and squeezing the very life out of them.

" _Please_ tell me you have a plan, Sam!" cried Clover.

"Yeah, because I don't think we could hold her off when she's like this, even with the three of us!" said Alex.

"Wait a second!" An idea _did_ come to Sam. "We don't have to fight her anymore!"

Of course. Why hadn't she thought of it from the start? Pulling out an orange wig, it was the only weapon they needed.

"Seriously?" said Clover, narrowing her eyelids. "Why do you even still have that gaudy thing? Unless you're trying to kill that psychopath by having her laugh to death, just throw it away!"

"Have you forgotten already, Clover? This is All The Rage Expanding Wig Cage! It might be ugly, but we can put it to good use!"

The others got the message loud and clear. What they needed now a distraction. Willing to provide one, Alex and Clover closed in on their cloak-wearing friend and started attacking from every direction. It was two-on-one. No matter who they were dealing with, it would be a cinch.

Not.

"Seriously?!" said Clover. Somehow, their would-be victim was blocking the combined assault. "This so isn't fair! Does she have eyes in the back of her head?!"

"At least let us hit you _once_!" Alex pleaded as she missed with a right hook.

"Um...g-good job, girls!" Sam said while she fiddled with the All The Rage Expanding Wig Cage. "Almost done!"

Clover taking a shot to her pretty face and Alex a kick to her midsection made Sam cringe.

"Hurry up, Sammy!" said Clover, eating another blow to the face. "S-She's totally going to end up knocking out _all_ my teeth at this rate!"

"Got it! Just...give me a little bit longer!"

It was time to improvise. Jumping on the cloaked woman's back and wrapping her arms around her neck might not have been the smartest idea. It was the only thing Sam could think. She hung on for dear life as her ride wriggled around to get her off.

"Here! It's ready!" Sam tossed the orange wig to Alex. "Hurry!"

Alex planted the wig on the SOAP spy's head. Sam darted for cover right before it expanded to three times its normal size. Before she even got a grasp of what was going on, locks of orange hair tangled her like webs. She tugged at them with everything she had, only to find herself trapped like a rat.

"Yeah!" the Spies exclaimed as they high-fived.

"That ugly, old wig actually came through after all," said Alex.

"And it looks like someone's having a bad hair day," taunted Clover with a satisfied smirk.

"Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying…" grumbled the hooded woman.

"Yeah, yeah. That's enough of that." Clover aimed the Wind Tunnel 9000 at her. She became still. "That's more like it. You're a sore loser though, aren't you?"

"What do we do with her?" Alex inquired. "I don't know if we'll be able to get anything out of her. 'Annoying' seems to be the majority of her vocabulary."

"We'll take her back to WHOOP," replied Sam. "Jerry can probably get her to talk better than we can. We need whatever information of SOAP we can get."

"Right. They still have that nasty little ultimate weapon of theirs," said Clover.

"Defeated. Defeated. Defeated. Defeated. Defeated," croaked the SOAP spy.

"Uh...I think even Jerry is going to have trouble with this one. She's a grade A nutcase," noted Alex. Curious, she made her way over to the 'nutcase' and leaned in close. The cloaked woman responded by reeling back. "I wonder why she's covering her face."

"Maybe she has really bad acne," suggested Clover.

"I...don't think that's actually it, Clover," said Sam dryly. "But we should probably unmask her. I just want to know if it's actually a Tabitha."

"Well, there's only one way to found out," replied Alex, bursting at the seams with excitement. She yanked the spy's hood off without delay. "This kinda of reminds of this one cartoon where…"

Her sentence trailed off. Her face, along with Sam's and Clover's, twisted into ones of both horror and confusion. The girl before them was no Tabitha. She wasn't some run of the mill SOAP operative either. No, the silver-haired girl glowering a hole into them was someone who should have been dead, a person they were convinced they would never see again. Sam, dropping to her knees, cover her mouth and began sobbing uncontrollably. Clover slowly backed away, under the impression she was hallucinating. Alex, meanwhile, pointed a trembling finger at the girl.

Christine, the spy who had saved the world, was alive.

And back working with SOAP.

 **END**


	6. (4) REMEMBERING HURTS

**(4) REMEMBERING HURTS**

It couldn't be true. It just couldn't be. Neither Sam, Alex, or Clover could so much as utter a single word. They wouldn't do it. They wouldn't accept it. Christine was their long lost friend. She was a woman who had sacrificed herself to save the world from SOAP's tyranny. It was bizarre enough that she was alive. She couldn't possibly be working with those very same people.

It defied all logic.

And yet, none of them could deny it was indeed Christine tied up in front of him. She was impossible to confuse for another. The silver hair. The blue eyes. The fiery expression.

It all fit.

"...What's going on?" said Sam slowly, carefully. She felt if she spoke and reacted in such a matter, maybe she could digest it better. "Chris? Chris, is that...really you? But...how?"

Alex, on the other hand, was far more vocal. "No way! You've got to be kidding me! _Chris_ has been the one attacking us all this time?!"

"I must be dreaming…" said Clover, who had to take a seat. No matter how much she gazed at the woman before her, she didn't want to trick herself into believing it could be true. "Are you...really Chris?"

If the girl they were referring to as Chris heard them, she offered them no explanation. She seemed to be looking right through them, not at them.

If only that were the only peculiar thing about her. Chris was... _different_ from how the Spies remembered her. Silver plating covered the left side of her face, specifically, the area around her eye.

"Her right leg…" Sam somberly began. "It's...metal."

"She...lost her leg?" asked Clover numbly. "That's...um…"

"T-The plane crash," stammered Alex, looking incredibly dejected. "I guess she got hurt really bad in the plane crash."

"But...she's alive," said Sam, trying to find a silver lining. "She's still here."

"Why didn't we find her?!" asked Clover angrily. She didn't even know who or what she was upset with. "We searched the crash site, but…!"

"It doesn't matter. The real question is what do we do now?"

"What kind of question is that?! We take Chris back with us of course!"

"Hey, why didn't you tell us you were okay, Chris?" asked Alex frantically. Chris eyed her carefully but remained mum. "Oh, come on already! Say something!"

"Calm down, Alex," Sam said with a sigh. "Clearly, SOAP has done something to her. As soon as we get back to WHOOP, we can have Jerry…"

"Annoying...WHOOP spies! Release me! Release me! RELEASE ME!"

The WHOOP spies in question were speechless for a few moments.

"Uh...I so don't remember Chris being _this_ nasty!" said Clover.

"She really doesn't recognize us?" asked Alex.

"It doesn't look like it," said Sam, fighting back tears. "Jerry's going to have a heart attack when he finds out about this."

"I think I am right now! ...Oh, wait. No, that's totally just indigestion from the taco I had at lunch."

Alex remark inadvertently got a laugh out of Clover. A weak one, but a laugh nonetheless.

"Isn't this a good thing?" she said. "Chris being here?"

Sam thinly smiled. "Yeah. It...is. It really is."

The girls were so caught up in a storm of emotions, they didn't notice Chris pulling on the orange hair binding her with everything she had. The split ends finally snapped like twigs, allowing her to get to her feet and rub her aching wrists.

"Maybe it's better _not_ to tell Jerry," suggested Alex. "He might have us eliminate Chris for working for the enemy!

"I think we do it, but we just explain it to him _slowly_ ," added Clover. "He's old. He might freak out otherwise."

"It should be okay. ...I think," replied Sam, not sounding too convincing. "I mean, it's not like he usually overreacts to stuff, right?"

"Sure, Sammy. And I'm sure he totally shaves and isn't bald. Get real!"

"Uh...wait a second. Girls?" said Alex timidly. She was the sole one aware that Chris was up and moving.

"Hold on a sec, Alex," said Clover, holding her hand up. "Okay, Sam, if we _do_ take Chris back with us, we have to make sure she doesn't totally destroy WHOOP. I don't know what SOAP did to her, but she's _way_ strong right now."

"I wonder if even the three of us are going to be enough," replied Sam. She put her hand on her chin and thought for a moment. "Maybe we're better off telling Jerry now she he can send someone from WHOOP to help us transport her."

"Maybe it won't see too bad. She _is_ still trapped in that ugly wig."

"True, and I really don't want to freak Jerry out, at least not until we get back."

"Oh, for crying out loud! She's getting away, girls!" shouted Alex.

Sam and Clover blinked and stood there like idiots as Chris indeed headed for the hills. Eventually, their brains kicked back into gear.

"Oh, no! A-After her!" ordered Sam.

"Ugh! What did I tell you? I _knew_ that hideous wig would be a dud!" said Clover.

"Alex, why didn't you say anything about Chris sooner?!"

"Seriously! Out of all the times for you to space out, this was _so_ the worst!"

A blank-faced Alex seriously, _seriously_ debated on slapping both her so-called friends. As frustrated as she was, she gave tracking down Chris higher priority.

The three pursued their target back down the dark, winding series of hallways they had come in from. They managed to stay close behind Chris to keep her in sight, yet, not fast enough to gain any ground. She was just as quick as they remembered, if not more so.

"It's because she has that stupid robot leg of hers!" whined Clover.

"That is so cheating!" voiced Alex. "Besides, I'm tired of all this running!"

"Suck it up. Aren't you on the track team? If _anyone_ has the right to complain, it's _me_!"

"And what makes you so special?!"

"Um, clueless much? All this sweating is doing nothing for my flawless complexion. I know it's something _you_ don't worry about, Alex, but…"

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?! _You're_ the one who always sneaks into my room to steal my skin products!"

Clover, blushing, at first faltered in retorting. "I-I mean it's clear from all those clogged pores you aren't putting them to good use!"

"Save the superficial talk for later, Clover!" advised Sam. Clover held her head high and crossed her arms. "Anyway, why is Chris running from us anyway? Darn it! We'll never catch her at this rate!"

"Leave it to me! I've got something that'll heat things up!"

Clover whipped out the Wind Tunnel 9000 Turbo Blast Hair Dryer and aimed it at Chris' back. Alex, however, was quick to pull her friend's arm down.

"No! You'll totally nuke her with that thing, even on the lowest settings!"

"Whoops! G-Good thinking, Alex." Clover turned to Sam. "Don't we have any more gadgets? Something that'll stop her without hurting her?"

"Unless you want to throw a pair of sunglasses at her, we don't," groaned Sam.

And to make matters worse, the four had reached the exit. Chris climbed the staircase leading to daylight. Sam, Alex and Clover were still hot on her trail. She had a whole forest in which to hide in, but the second she made it back onto the surface, she stopped in her tracks. The Spies did the same. They grew wary when their friend cracked her knuckles and scowled in a manner that suggested she was in the mood for another fight.

"Oh, just great," moaned Sam. "Well, at least she isn't running anymore."

"Uh...do we _really_ want to do that?" said Alex, gulping. "I'm totally not trying to be a downer, but she _so_ kicked our butts a little while ago. If it weren't for that ugly wig…"

"Yeah, and no way she's punching me in the face again. She hits like a mack truck!" added Clover.

"Good...points," Sam conceded. "Okay, maybe we should…"

Sam, cupping a hand over her ear, heard something approaching. "Is that a...helicopter?"

A helicopter _did_ appear from over the tall trees. Sam, Alex and Clover braced themselves, nearly swept away from the strong winds of its blades. It lowered itself dangerously close to them before someone inside dropped a ladder. It was meant for Chris, who didn't miss a beat. She latched onto it and climb the first couple of stairs when Sam called out to her.

"Wait, Chris! You can't go with them! You can't go back to SOAP! I don't know what they've done to you, but you don't belong with them! You belong with _us_!"

"Yeah! Didn't we fight so hard to stop Scar and SOAP so they wouldn't take over the whole world?!" exclaimed Clover.

"You hated them more than anyone for what they did to your parents!" added Alex. "Don't you remember?!"

Chris froze. Something about their desperate pleas made something stirwithin her. Everything was foggy, like there a wall blocking her out from the truth. These girls were talking nonsense. That's what Claw would have told her.

And yet, the name 'Scar' got her heart thumping.

 _Thump._

 _Thump._

 _Thump._

"S-Scar…"

Her head ached. Her skull felt like it was splitting. Grunting, she clutched it for dear life and nearly stumbled off of the ladder.

"Never mind them, my faithful operative. These foul WHOOP agents are just attempting to flood your head with lies. You belong to SOAP. You belong to _me_."

Claw, peering out from the backseat of the helicopter, smirked at the stunned faces of the WHOOP spies. "Hello, ladies. I didn't think we would meet again so soon. Or... _at all_ for that matter. It seems my operative failed in eliminating you, but that doesn't mean she's outgrown her usefulness. All she needs is a few more... _adjustments_."

"You monster! What did you do to her?!" hollered Sam.

"I simply reminded her who she was. You think this girl, your 'Chris,' is your friend? You really are simple minded girls, aren't you? Christine was born and bred to be a SOAP spy. It's who she _really_ is."

"That's isn't true!" protested Clover. "What do you know about her, you creep?!"

"I know that thanks to her efforts, the ultimate weapon is nearly complete. I also know that you girls were so close, yet, so far in catching me! See you on the flipside!"

"W-Wait, Chris! Don't go with that jerk! Y-You _can't_!" pleaded Alex.

Climbing into the backseat of the helicopter, Chris gazed upon the heartbroken faces of the WHOOP Spies as her ride grew farther and farther away. For some strange reason, she couldn't bring herself to look away.

It felt like...her heart was shattering to pieces too.

"That was...so lame," said Alex bitterly.

"What? Chris leaving, or Claw's cheesy one-liners?" asked Clover.

"...Everything. I can't believe Chris is gone again."

Sam sighed. "And there goes our lead on SOAP too. Even if Jerry managed to figure out where Claw was when we were talking to him, it sounds like he's already moved his cronies somewhere else."

"Forget about those guys! What about Chris?!" blared Clover.

"Yeah! It really does seem like she's been brainwashed," said Alex.

"I think you're right. Everything that's happened basically confirms it. No way she would be helping these creeps of her own free will," said Sam.

"Then let's go get her back!"

"Yeah!" added Alex. "You heard that Claw jerk! They're going to do even _more_ awful things to her if we don't hurry!"

Sam replied, "I-I get that, girls. I want Chris back too, but it's not going to be that easy. SOAP probably…"

The three jumped in fright when their X-Powers began ringing in their pockets. They took them out and flipped them open to see Jerry staring back at them on the screen.

"Hello, girls. I'm afraid I have some bad news concerning Claw. He…"

"Got away," said Alex somberly. "Yeah, Jer. We know."

"That's not all," said Sam. "You're not going to believe this when we tell you."

"I mean _we're_ totally still in shock over here!" added Clover.

Jerry, raising an eyebrow, couldn't imagine what his operatives were so worked up about.

#

Safe at last.

The chopper with Claw and Chris aboard arrived at a backup SOAP base within the hour. Claw, climbing out of the vehicle as it landed, hadn't planned on using this headquarters so soon. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Two members of SOAP came to greet their leader.

"Welcome back, sir," one of them, a handsome, black-haired male, said with a salute. "How did everything go out there on the front lines?"

Better than expected," Claw replied with a grin. "Of course, when someone like me is dealing with a meager opponent like WHOOP, victory is the only result."

"Is that why you were practically pissing your pants telling us to move everything as soon as possible?" muttered the other SOAP spy, a red-headed female.

"Did you say something, Margaret?"

Margaret cleared her throat. "Nothing at all, sir. I am just happy to see you made it back safe and sound. Would you like to know the progress of the ultimate weapon?"

The way Claw nodded like an excited puppy was a good enough answer.

"Malcolm would know about it than I."

The handsome Malcolm nodded. "Of course, though it would probably easier to show you, sir, rather than bore you with the details. ...Not like you'd even understand if I did with that dense mass in your head you call a brain."

"What was that last part, Malcolm?" Claw inquired, noting his subordinate had mumbled it.

"Nothing at all, sir," replied Malcolm with a straight face. "Please, if you'll accompany us…"

Claw did just that, motioning Chris to follow along.

What awaited was a winding series of staircase. This base was constructed like the last. Instead of confusing corridors, it was exhausting stairs. Halfway through, Claw was already out of breath and informing his men to give him a couple of moments.

"W-Who in the world designed this place? I'm about to have a heart attack…"

"I believe that was you, sir," said Malcolm with a slight smirk.

Margaret, snickering behind Claw's back, added, "You wished to make any intruders regret sneaking in here if the situation ever arose. Judging from your appearance, sir, I would say you've struck genius once again. Of course, we could have just taken the alternate hallway that leads straight to where we're going without taking the stairs."

Claw stared at her blankly. "...Yes, that...would have been preferable."

Malcolm and Margaret high fived out of Claw's eyeline.

"She doesn't talk much, does she, sir?" asked Malcolm, peering at Chris trailing behind them. She had her head down and eyes glued to the floor. "She's honestly giving me the creeps."

"Should we _really_ be putting so much trust in a traitor?" growled Margaret. "If it weren't for her, Scar would still be here, and SOAP would be at the height of its power!"

Hearing the name 'Scar' again made Chris' shoot up.

"Be quiet, both of you," hissed Claw. He set his sights on Chris, adding, "While her actions in nearly causing the end of our great organization were indeed deplorable, her accomplishments before her betrayal are not to be overlooked. She has a skill set we can utilize. Rescuing her from that nasty plane crashing and reconstructing her has paid dividends thus far. Besides, Christine here is thankful for me saving her life. You hate WHOOP, don't you?"

"...Yes," said Chris monotonically. "I...live to serve SOAP. Forever."

"Good girl. You certainly are obedient, aren't you? Then again, even someone like you is powerless in the face of a few sessions of brainwashing. Still, never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be so effective. Perhaps she has more love for SOAP than she was willing to admit."

He laughed madly as his group entered an elevator and headed down. Everyone, Chris included, covered their ears. Malcolm and Margaret couldn't help but snicker when he bit his tongue.

"E-Enough!" he barked. "It wasn't even that funny!"

His subordinates chortled harder. His expression soured. Fortunately for him, the elevator stopped, signaling they had arrived at their destination. It meant he could get away from them and step into expansive room brimming with odd machinery and researchers dressed in appropriate white coats. Claw moved his way through without taking a passing glance at all the busy work. None of the research there was what he craved to get an update on.

No, what he came to behold was on a much grander scale.

Claw entered a heavily guarded room near the back. Everyone he passed gave him a firm salute. Replying with one of his, Claw hungrily eyed the giant, incomplete laser sitting in the center of the room.

"How is construction going?" he asked.

A wrinkled, gray-haired man waddled his way over to him. "Everything is going according to plan, sir. While we've had difficulty working in the various power sources you've brought us, we've gotten quite far. It will only be a matter of time before TIDE is completed."

"Erm...T-TIDE you say?" mumbled Claw, trying his best to make it sound like he wasn't totally clueless as to what the scientist was talking about.

"Terrorize. Intimidate. Dominate. Eradicate. It is something Mr. X came up with."

"Mr. X, you say?" Claw answered. That sure sounded like the man. He shuddered merely thinking of him. "It...um...sure is chilly in here, isn't it?"

Those working in the room stopped what they were doing to glance at him. It was scorching in fact, making them question if something were wrong with him.

"TIDE is a fine name for the weapon destined to change the world!" he proclaimed. "I have you to thank for this, my dear." He leered back at Chris, who was busy ogling TIDE. "Of course, that isn't to say that most of this is thanks to _my_ unmatched intellect!"

Again, those working on TIDE gazed at him like he was crazy. He hadn't done anything other than sit around in his office and bark orders.

"How ironic. You were prepared to throw your life away to stop Scar, yet, here you are helping his grand scheme come to fruition. Perhaps you now understand. No matter what you do, Christine, you have been and always will be _nothing_ more than a pawn for SOAP."

Chris said nothing, appearing as if she wasn't thinking anything at all.

Claw's malicious smirk widened. "How amusing. You can understand nothing I'm saying, can you? Oh well. It's not as if I'm using you for your smarts. Speaking of stupidity, how did those 'friends' of your react when they figured out your true identity? I would have _paid_ to see the looks on their faces! Were they crying? Please tell me they were crying!"

Chris' head jerked in his direction.

"To think WHOOP would employ such stupid, pitiful girls that believe in such asinine concepts like friendship! _That_ is why they are weak. It's a wonder they were ever able to give the great Scar such trouble."

Chris shook uncontrollably.

"Now that _I'm_ around, creatures like them will not be allowed to exist in my new world! I will personally see to it that those three insects are crushed under my heel. No. I have an even better idea. Christine, how would you like to take care of them yourself? Oh, the irony in such a scenario is too much to…"

Out of nowhere, Chris lunged at him. She pressed her elbow into his throat. pinning him against a wall. Gagging, Claw's bloodshot eyes saw nothing but hatred written on her face, scaring the living daylight out of him more than her attempting to kill him.

"W-What in the world are you thinking?! Unhand me! Unhand me, I say!" he choked out.

Chris did nothing of the sort, instead muttering, "Those...annoying girls are...my...friends. Shut your...filthy mouth."

"F-Friends? What nonsense are you speaking?! They are nothing more than…!"

Chris pressed down even harder, so much that Claw could no longer breathe. "I said _shut your filthy mouth_ , sir. You're...annoying!"

Those in the room rushed over to assist their leader. Even with dozens of them attempting to pull her off of him, Chris didn't budge an inch. She eventually released him of her own volition, letting him plop onto the floor a terrified mess of a man.

"...My apologies, my liege," was all she had to say before walking off. Nobody, especially Claw, had the guts to confront her.

Claw, helped to his feet, coughed violently and his grabbed his throbbing neck. "W-What in the world was _that_ about?! Is the brainwashing wearing off? Impossible! A-And what are you all looking at?! Get back to work!"

Everyone did so on the double save for the elderly scientist from before. He trotted over to Claw, visibly unaffected by his boss nearly being murdered.

"I meant to say so earlier, but I am happy to say that TIDE is nearly complete. However, I'm afraid we require one last component."

"F-Fine!" Claw fixed his tie, fuming with anger. "I will send my agents out to get your blasted component! How many more could you possibly need? I've waited long enough!"

"I'm afraid you don't understand. Mere batteries and science projects will no longer suffice. This time, you need to reel in the _grand prize_."

"Grand...prize?"

That was sure informative. Claw struggled to think of anything that could fit the bill. Frankly speaking, he just wanted TIDE completed so he could go ahead and blow up WHOOP already.

"Sir," began the scientist, picking up on his leader's confusion, "Have you ever heard of a place called...WHOOP Island?"

#

Jerry had never imaged Sam, Alex, and Clover could be so...quiet. They hadn't said much at all since returning to WHOOP, and he wasn't going to force them. Each one looked more lost than the next as they sobbed on his red couch. Jerry took a deep breath and realized that while his Spies needed time to cope, they all had to address the matter at hand.

"Girls," he started softly, "I understand what you've told me is...quite alarming, but...we don't have time to sit around moping like this while SOAP is still out there. If what you've told me about this 'ultimate weapon' is true, then we _cannot_ allow them to complete it. Even WHOOP wouldn't have the firepower to deal with them. I believe you three know as well as I do what a group like SOAP would do such a horrible weapon."

His speech and the distress in his tone garnered barely any reaction out of his Spies. At the moment, they couldn't have cared less what Claw and SOAP did. Palming his hand over his face, Jerry was assured their enemies would conquer the world by the time his operatives got their acts together.

"I...still can't believe Chris is alive," said a hiccuping Clover. "None of this makes any sense! Why'd it have to be _her_ we're fighting against?!"

"All this feels like some sort of awful Knightmare," mumbled Sam, sniffling.

Alex wiped the tears from her bloodshot eyes. More replaced them. "I wonder...what she's doing right now. I hope she's okay."

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore!" roared Clover, startling the others. "We've gotta get back out there! I don't even wanna imagine what that Claw creep is doing to her! If she really _is_ brainwashed…!"

"Girls! That's enough!" shouted Jerry. He slammed his fist on his desk. Sam, Alex and Clover were honestly frightened. They couldn't recall seeing their boss _this_ mad. "I understand how you feel, but this is no time to lose our heads!"

"Then what do you want us to do, Jer?!" Clover fired back. "Just leave her with those maniacs?! If she's alive, we should do everything in our power to save her!"

"It's almost like you don't care about Chris at all!" added Alex.

"Sorry, Jerry, but I'm with them," said Sam. "We can't just leave this alone."

"I _do_ care about Christine." Jerry walked to the other side of his desk, standing right in front of the girls. "But the way you're acting isn't doing anything to help her. Listen. The best way to help Chris is by stopping SOAP. If we don't, millions, if not billions, of innocent lives could be lost. While I'm sure Chris appreciates you three being so willing to help her, she _wouldn't_ want SOAP to get their way in exchange."

None of the Spies immediately responded, getting the last of their sobs out. Jerry passed around a box of tissues.

"Thanks, Jer," said a much calmer Clover before blowing her nose.

"Okay, then let's go after SOAP!" said Alex with conviction.

"We'll put a stop to them once and for all!" remarked Sam in the same tone.

"And then we'll bring Chris home!" added Clover for good measure.

Jerry nodded and even smiled. "Well, while I'm quite pleased to see you ladies are back to your usual, energetic selves, I'm afraid the three of you aren't going anywhere."

That was the _last_ thing they expected to hear and explained why they were staring at their boss their jaws agape.

"We have no leads on SOAP's whereabouts after their latest move. More importantly, none of you are in any mental or physical condition to be going out on any missions. For the time being, I'm relieving you three of your duties. You can consider it a vacation."

The idea of rest and relaxation from WHOOP was usually a godsend. Instead, Sam, Alex and Clover frantically spoke over one another in an attempt to get Jerry to change his mind.

It was cruel.

It was unfair.

It didn't make any sense.

But Jerry wasn't having any of it. He shot his hand up, silencing them. "My decision is final, girls. I'll have other agents gather information on SOAP in the meantime. I want you three to go back home and lead the lives of normal university students. Aren't you the ones usually complaining about me overworking you? This is for your own good. Never fear though. If something _does_ come up concerning SOAP, I'll let you three know as soon as possible."

"B-But Jerry…!"

"Tata for now."

With a cordial wave, Jerry hit a red button hidden on his desk. A hole opened up in the ceiling, Sam, Alex, and Clover knew what was coming before it did. They were sucked upward, screaming as they disappeared into a tunnel leading out of the building.

"I'm sorry, girls," said Jerry somberly, returning to his seat. "Know that I'm doing all of this for your own good."

Someone who had been hiding the shadows the entire time stepped from behind Jerry.

"You did the right thing, sir. Now our only issue is determining how long it's going to take SOAP to make this ultimate weapon of theirs. We either have a few months to spare or a few hours." The individual chuckled. "You know, it's rather annoying dealing with such an unpredictable enemy."

Jerry nodded. "We've been put into an awkward situation. We've no choice but to let them make the first move unfortunately."

"True, but being on the defensive has its advantages. So long as we have those girls, I know we can do this. If anyone is going to stop SOAP, it's them."

"I'm pleased to hear you have such confidence in them."

"Of course. I've seen what they can do firsthand, after all. Still, I've seen Chris in action too. If it comes down to them having to face her once again, even I can't say who'll come out on top. Obviously, I'm hoping it doesn't come to that."

"My. You've not only regained your memories, but you're holding up quite well in light of the news Christine is alive and well. Perhaps being a track star has you accustomed to surprises. Isn't that right...Dyson Glee?"

Jerry turned his chair to his guest. Adorned in a silver catsuit, Dyson gave Jerry the smile that had won the hearts of hundreds of girls at Malibu University. It didn't have quite the same effect on his new boss though.

"I guess you could say that," he smoothly answered. "But then again, I've only learned how to _look_ like I'm keeping cool. Things have already gone differently than I anticipated. Chris being involved... _complicates_ things. Anyway, I'll keep a look out for SOAP in place of those girls. They've earned a break, even if they aren't exactly happy about it. That is...if that isn't a problem with you, Jerry. I realize I'm still a little green at this whole 'spy' thing."

"I'll be counting on you. Make sure to continue keeping a low profile. SOAP doesn't know you're working undercover for me. Neither do the girls. I would like to keep it that way for the time being."

Dyson laughed again. "Not a problem. It's going to be hard juggling the life of an athlete, a student, _and_ a spy. I've gotta give props to those girls for keeping their other life a secret so long while still handling things in their personal life. I couldn't have asked for better seniors."

#

The supermax prison used to house the world's most dangerous criminals was known as WHOOP Island. It was rebuilt some time after its destruction. Those that worked there knew it as the 'dark side' of the organization, a place where few rules mattered. The guards did whatever it took to ensure no prisoners escaped.

Not with their lives anyway.

Criminals far in wide feared being incarcerated in such a desolate locale, enough so that there were numerous incidents of captured individuals selling out their comrades to serve a lighter sentence in another of WHOOP's Containment Facilities. Only the best of the best were assigned there. Security was airtight.

But that didn't mean even these operatives weren't standing on pins and needles at the news of SOAP's resurgence. It had been a solid week since any activity from the group, yet, that wasn't enough to ease WHOOP's fears.

Playing the waiting game with a group like SOAP was something none of them desired.

There were whispers—perhaps just overblown rumors spread by the inmates to cause panic amongst the guards—of SOAP launching an attack on WHOOP Island. The operators of the prison considered it impregnable. Any actions by SOAP would be suicidal.

Two agents in particular weren't so sure. They weren't leaving anything up to chance, so they took it upon themselves to personally inspect each and every cell block on the island. None of the criminals would try anything funny during this state of uncertainty. They would make sure of it.

As they walked from balcony to balcony, cell to cell, they paid no mind to the vulgar language and threats thrown their way from the inmates. Having been at WHOOP Island for half a month, they had grown used to it.

"Man, these folks sure are riled up today," said one of them, a male.

The other, female, replied, "They seem to be under the impression SOAP coming back means their ticket out of here. I'm sure most of them remember what what SOAP did to our main base back in California and how Scar freed all the criminals there."

"Yikes. That was a disaster alright. Knowing our luck, a breakout _would_ happen while we're assigned here temporarily. Jerry always leaves the two of us the dirty work."

"It's fine. Since we're here, we just have to make sure history doesn't repeat itself."

"You sure sound confident. Maybe I'll let you handle things alone."

" _Very_ funny. I see why Clover broke up with you now."

"Hey, I broke up with _her_. She's sweet, but girls like her are just too high maintenance."

"It sounds like you just weren't up to the challenge."

"Jeez. Not you too. Just leave me alone about that. We have a job to do."

The two turned down yet another corner when a prisoner nearly hit Britney and Blaine with a tomato.

"You're days are numbered, WHOOP spies!" they roared. "Numbered I tell you!"

"Yep. You were right about them being worked up," said Britney with a smile.

"Watching over these guys is a pain," replied Blaine, casually stretching his arms.

"I've babysat a few times, but...I guess this isn't the same. I really can't take much more of this place though."

"I know what you mean." Blaine shoved back a prisoner scratching and clawing at him through the bars of his cell. "I wish they would install those glass cells on this floor already. If anything is going to go down on this island, this might be the level to watch. I'd much rather be on the front lines battling baddies again. Still, it would be _really_ bad if SOAP targeted this place, so let's just keep an eye out for a little longer."

Britney frowned. "I _knew_ you'd say that. Jeez. Are we ever going to get to go home?"

Blaine mulled the matter over. "Well, I guess we can go once Sam, Alex, and Clover take care of SOAP once and for all."

"It feels like forever since we've last seen them. I really miss them."

"Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we go see them as soon as we're done with this?"

"Yeah! That's a great idea! I'm sure they'll be happy to see us too. It'll be nice to take a break from all this spy work. ...Then again, who are we kidding? It's a bit of a stretch to think we'll get any free time any time soon."

As if to mock Britney, an alarm sounded throughout the prison. The inmates became even more rabid, sensing that something was amiss. Blaine and Britney had to take cover to dodge a hail of fruits and vegetables.

"And _this_ is why I've been telling the guards to just give them soup!" said Blaine.

"Then again, that would be scaling hot. I'd much rather take a orange or two to the face," replied Britney. "But forget that! What's going on? Do you think…?"

"It could be. Let's check in with headquarters to…"

A watch on Blaine's wrist began to beep like crazy. He tapped a button on its side, bringing the tiny screen to life.

"We've got _big_ trouble!" said the hyperventilating WHOOP agent being transmitted. "I-It's _them_! They're actually here! They're swarming all over the place! We can't stop them!"

"Whoa! Hold on there! Calm down!" requested Blaine. "What's happening? Who's on the island?"

"It's SOAP!"

Britney groaned. "Now I feel like a jinx."

"How bad is the situation?" asked Blaine. "You say they're everywhere?"

The operative on screen shielded himself as some debris rained down all around him. Blaine and Britney could also hear shouting and some sort of commotion in the background.

"We won't be able to hold out much longer!" the spy exclaimed. "I-I don't how they snuck up on us like this, but this is a full scale attack!"

"Just hold on a little longer! We'll be right there!" said Britney.

Blaine asked, "Where are their main forces? We'll head them off."

"T-The generator room, I think! I don't know why, but…"

"They're trying to cut the power!" gasped Britney.

"That would be _bad_ ," noted Blaine. "All the cells are electronically locked! If the power goes out…!"

"Then we need to hurry! We can figure out how SOAP slipped past our defenses later!"

The two nodded and then proceeded at full speed.

"We'll have to take the stairs to get underground where the generator room is!" explained Blaine. "The elevators should be on emergency shutdown due to the prison being on lockdown!"

"So...uh...what are we going to do when we get down there?" asked Britney. The magnitude of the crisis finally hit her. "It sounded like SOAP was packing some serious firepower. I have a few gadgets on me, but at the end of the day, we're just two people."

"That's a...er...good question," admitted Blaine. "Well, first and foremost, we need to stop SOAP from destroying the generator. We can worry about how to get them off this island afterward. There are backup batteries, but I heard they won't last long. Hopefully, Jerry and the boys at WHOOP's main HQ have figured out what's going on. If so, we just have to buy time until reinforcements get here."

"Wow. You sure do think quick on your feet. It reminds me of Alex."

Blaine, raising an eyebrow, wasn't too sure how he felt about such a comparison.

"There's the staircase!" said Britney, pointing. "Strange. No SOAP spies yet."

"All of them might already be down there! Keep your guard up!"

The two arrived at their destination with luxury of encountering no SOAP operatives. They breathed another sigh of relief at finding the generator safe and sound.

Blaine wasn't ready to pop open the champagne. "...Something isn't right."

"No kidding," replied Britney. "Wasn't there supposed to be about a hundred SOAP agents lying in wait. We're the only ones here."

"Were we late to the party?"

"I doubt it. Something's fishy alright. It doesn't look like anything in this room has been touched at all."

"And it's _way_ too quiet for a supposed invasion. Where is everyone?"

"I've got a _really_ bad feeling about this."

Britney's words were prophetic yet again. No sooner did she finish speaking did a red, square-shaped barrier form around her and Blaine. They immediately went to punching and kicking the walls to free themselves, only to discovered they were as hard as lead.

"I really _am_ a jinx, aren't I?" moaned Britney.

"This wasn't your fault," replied Blaine. He rammed his shoulder again but only managed to nearly separate it. "Ow! This is sturdy alright. Looks like we've fallen hook, line, and sinker into someone's trap."

They weren't alone after all. A voice spoke to them from somewhere in the darkness. "Correct, WHOOP agents. How foolish of me to think catching you rats would actually be a challenge."

Blaine and Britney searched around for any sign of the intruder. Footsteps approached them, but they couldn't tell from which direction or even how many people. Both WHOOP spies couldn't help but sweat at the prospect of being stuck in this barrier with a whole army ready to strike.

But their fears were overblown. Only a single person came out of the shadows, a tall figure dressed in a dark cloak. The mysterious entity glared at Blaine and Britney using their blue eyes.

"And just who might you be?" questioned Blaine.

"Are you with SOAP?" added Britney.

"Oh, so you two don't know?" said the same person from earlier. His captives spies realized the voice wasn't coming from the person before them. The cloaked figure held up a small monitor, allowing Blaine and Britney to see none other than Claw. "Your superiors are quite slow on informing their personnel on important matters. My name is Claw."

"The new leader of Spies Organized Against Peace," growled Britney.

Claw was pleasantly surprised. "Correction. I guess Jerry isn't as forgetful as he age would lead one to believe. Good. You know who I am, but I'm not going to bother asking common filth who they are."

"So what _do_ you want?" asked Blaine. "You're telling me you set this whole thing up just to trap two operatives? You're not as smart as you think you are."

"On the contrary, I consider myself a genius. After all, who is the one talking from the safety of his office, and who are the ones stuck in that box of mine?"

Touché. Blaine smacked his lips.

"He's still right," snapped Britney. "I don't know where you get your intel of WHOOP from, but in case you have noticed, we aren't the only agents who work for them. There's plenty of us left to take down your cronies on this island!"

For someone being threatened, Claw sure was cackling like he hadn't a care in the world. Britney turned to Blaine for clarification. Confused himself, he shrugged.

"You still don't get it," said Claw, resting his head on fist. "You two have been tricked. Fooled. Bamboozled. The only operative I have on that island is the one you see before you. That helpless WHOOP agent who contacted you and told you my forces were 'invading?' A fabricated recording created by yours truly to lure the both of you away from your allies. WHOOP Island is indeed heavily fortified, but that's also it's achilles heel. It doesn't take much to trip the alarm. Once I did that, it was only a matter of time before the two best operatives there, you fools, would show up to ensure my imaginary forces didn't cut the power. By now, I'm sure your comrades have already signaled for the All Clear after finding no presence of an intruder."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Britney reached for her X-Powder, intent on telling the aforementioned comrades of their plight. Her eyes widened like saucers. All she got was static. "Huh? What's...going on?"

"So, you've finally figured it out," said Claw, unable to hide a devilish grin. "That cage also block off any outside communication. Any gadgets you've brought along will be rendered inoperable as well. I'm afraid you two are on your own."

Blaine and Britney didn't want to admit it out loud, but they were in serious trouble. Jerry had informed them that while Claw was indeed heading SOAP now, he didn't seem the cunning threat like his predecessor Scar. That assessment wasn't holding much water at the moment.

"You plotted all that just to catch the two of us? Why?" asked Blaine. He didn't really care; he simply needed to buy some time for him and Britney to escape. This Claw clearly liked to talk, so getting him to keep on doing so didn't seem a difficult task.

"My benefactor mentioned that besides the three women working directly under Jerry Lewis, there were also two more than helped take down Scar. After doing a bit of research, I discovered it was you two and that you were currently stationed at WHOOP Island."

"Where does this guy get his sources?" wondered Britney.

"The man I work for is quite powerful indeed. I admit that not even I know everything about him, but I _do_ realize that having him on my side is in my best interest. Anyway, to save myself some potential hardship, I decided to track you both down and eliminate you before you could become a thorn in my side."

"You're thorough. I'll give you that," conceded Blaine.

"But even if you do get rid of us, that still doesn't mean it's over!" declared Britney. "We'll still have Jerry! And we'll still have Sam, Alex, and Clover!"

"Those four?" replied Scar, chuckling. "They are of no concern. In fact, as soon as I'm done with the two of you, I'll make sure to take care of them."

He indulged himself in another bout of laughter and left Blaine and Britney to contemplate their fates. When Claw accidentally clamped down on his tongue, the two couldn't help but burst out giggling themselves.

"W-Why does that keep happening?!" he cried in anguish. "S-Someone bring me some ice! Hurry!"

"Maybe we jumped the gun on this guy being smart," said Britney, clutching her sides.

"I'm a little confused, Claw. Again I don't think you're as smart as you think you are," repeated Blaine. "If you're little spy over here is going to destroy us, you're going to have to lower that barrier."

"And the second you do, we'll take them down!"

"On the contrary," Claw began, his mouth still stinging, "I never once said my spy was there to take care of you. No, there's something of far more value I need her to bring back to me. That barrier trapping you is impenetrable from the inside _and_ outside. Even if she wanted to, my operative wouldn't be able to get past it. More importantly, that energy cage is set on a timer. Fifteen minutes to be exact. Once those fifteen minutes pass... _boom_."

That wasn't good. Blaine's and Britney's horrified expressions showed how much they thought so.

"My spy will have finished her work long before then, so she is in no danger. You two on the other hand, are about to have your blossoming spy careers go out with a bang." Claw gave the two a faux salute, adding, "Now then, I must be going. I've wasted more than enough time on you two losers. I bid you adieu. It's unfortunate; neither one of you will be around to see when I recreate this world in my image!"

On that note, the SOAP spy clicked off the screen and tossed it away.

It was time to get to work.

"Where is she going?" said Britney. The hooded figure was walking in the opposite direction from where they were trapped. "W-Wait a sec!"

"She's...not trying to do what I think she is, is she?" asked Blaine. "Crap!"

Both of them were right on the money in assuming the SOAP spy's _real_ target was the generator powering WHOOP Island. It was at least five times bigger than her, leaving Blaine to sign in relief.

"That Claw really is a dummy."

"What do you mean?" inquired Britney.

"There's no way one person could lift something that big. At some point, that spy is going to have to call for reinforcements to help take it out of here. That means they're going to have to wait. In the meantime, that means they aren't going to be paying attention to what we're doing. Claw says this cage is unbreakable, but I think he's bluffing. There has to be _someway_ out of it, and I say we try to figure out before fifteen minutes passes."

"I see. Good idea!"

The hooded woman analyzed every aspect of the generator and then nodded. No problem. She cracked her knuckles, slipped her fingers underneath, and then screamed with vigor. Slowly but surely, they started to rip the generator away from the nuts, bolts, and circuitry keeping it in place. This was already eye popping enough, but the thief even managed to put it over their shoulder and begin walking away as if it weighed nothing.

"L-Looks like they don't need help after all!" cried Britney. "Hey, this is bad! Didn't Jerry mention something about an ultimate weapon SOAP is making?"

"Darn it! They might actually finish it if she gets away with that generator!" stated Blaine. "Okay, so much for us taking our time! We need to hurry up and get out of here so we can stop her!"

"Uh...a weak point! This cage has to have a weak point!"

The SOAP spy passed Blaine and Britney without so much as glancing at them.

Mission complete.

"Hey! Get back here!" Britney hollered after her to no avail. "Where do they think they're going with that thing? No way they're escaping the base carrying around something so big!"

"Or, they rip anyone they come across apart like they did that generator!" replied Blaine. "Let's not take any chances and just get outta this stupid thing!"

While the two of them scrambled to avoid certain death, the SOAP spy halted in their tracks, sensing a nearby presence other than them.

She looked down. There was a piece of chewed gum on her chest. The cloaked woman reached for it, only to have the seemingly innocent confection send a thousand volts of electricity coursing through her.

Blinded by the light show, Britney shouted, "W-What's going on _now_?!"

"Wait, that wasn't you?" asked Blaine honestly.

"I-I thought it was you!"

"Didn't Claw say we couldn't use gadgets in this thing?"

"Well, if not us, then who?"

The SOAP operative fell to the ground with a loud thud alongside the generator. Smoldering, she didn't move. Alhough she was the enemy, Blaine and Britney feared she wasn't getting back up.

"Well, well, well. So, that alarm wasn't just smoke and mirrors. It appears we have an enemy spy in our midst. That won't do."

Stepping into plain view, Doctor Heisenberg adjusted his thick glasses.

"It seems my latest invention, the Everlasting Shock Gum, works as intended, though the cinnamon flavor could use some work." Heisenberg sighed. "Making gadgets for WHOOP is rather mundane work, but my new employers will be pleased to know I haven't been slacking off. It's the least I could do since they gave me a new lease on life."

"Oh no. It's _that_ guy," whined Britney, not bothering to hide the displeasure in her words.

"Heisenberg," grumbled Blaine, equally disgusted. "What are _you_ doing here?"

" _Doctor Heisenberg_ ," said the man sharply. "Put some respect on my name, please. You two don't sound all that grateful for me getting you out of quite the bind. I would have presumed WHOOP agents were better trained in order to avoid simplistic traps like this one, but it appears I was wrong."

"Enough with the lecturing! Get us out of this thing!" ordered Britney.

"It's going to explode any minute now!" added Blaine.

Heisenberg, sighing again, strode over to the two. "You want _more_ of my aid? You do realize this whole ordeal is cutting into my research time?"

"And do _you_ understand there won't be a WHOOP to keep you employed if you don't free us so we can stop SOAP?!" screeched Britney, red as a beet.

"...The young are always so impatient. It's a wonder I was able to instruct a class full of them at one time."

"This guy sure likes his pointless small talk," mumbled Blaine, irritated.

Heisenberg put his hand on the cage, examined it thoroughly, and said "Hmm." at random intervals. After the sixth time, Britney was through.

"Well?! We're waiting!"

Heisenberg signaled for her to pipe down by holding his finger up. Britney would have ripped his head off if there weren't an explosive prison separating them.

Blaine spoke in a much gentler fashion, realizing Heisenberg might leave them to die if they continued to scream his head off. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?"

"...Attempting to determine the nature of this energy box," replied the good doctor testily. "However, you two insist on breaking my concentration, so I'm not getting anywhere."

Screw staying on his good side. Now Blaine was in a bad mood. "I mean, no hurry, but... _hurry up please_!"

"...I'm starting to hope you'll be blown to bits with us," said Britney through gritted teeth.

"Oh, how morbid," replied Heisenberg dryly. "Now then, let's see…"

He stuck another piece of Everlasting Shock Gum in his mouth. He chewed on it and pressed the wad against the energy cage.

"That's _really_ gross," noted Britney. Why Heisenberg had chosen the spot right in front of her to put the gum, she wasn't sure. It might not have been an accident; she could have sworn he grinned for an instant.

It might have been nasty, but the gum was also effective. Electricity overloaded the cage, shattering it like glass and freeing its captives.

"Whoa. That actually worked!" said a pleasantly surprised Blaine. "Thanks a lot, Doc. We owe you one."

"That gum of yours seems really handy," said Britney. "I'll have to ask for some on my next mission!"

Heisenberg, glowing with pride, retorted, "I'll have to finish testing it first to ensure there are no nasty bugs. From what I can tell, it works without a hitch. I'm sure that SOAP spy over there can attest to that."

Britney made her way over to the person in question. They were down for the count alright. Criminal or not, they would have to get her some emergency help as soon as possible.

"How did they manage to yank that generator out like it was nothing?"

"And what a fine mess they made of it too," voiced an unsympathetic Heisenberg. "You can't imagine how long it will take my team and I to reinstall it. And I was already running off schedule as it was. At the very least, we won't have to fret about any of the prisoners escaping with the backup batteries in place. I should be able to outfit them so that they last a number of days if need be. A pity. I was curious to test out the island's new defense system. Prisoners make such wonderful guinea pigs."

Neither Blaine nor Britney liked the way he phrased that.

"This isn't the time for research, Doc," Blaine informed him.

"On the contrary. Life as a whole can be used as a learning opportunity so long as one is willing to open their mind."

"That's...um...very enlightening," said Britney, not at all caring for the subject, "but we're going to be in trouble if that gum of yours caused this SOAP spy any permanent damage. We need her alive in order to get any information out of her."

"I can assure you that despite my disagreement with Jerry on the matter, any and all gadgets I create are nonlethal."

"Y-You'd _prefer_ lethal?" said Blaine incredulously.

"Our enemies certainly do. Why not fight fire with fire?"

"Because that's _not_ how WHOOP operates," replied Britney. "Now then, let's get this girl unmasked so we can…"

The very moment she laid hands on the cloaked figure's hood, the woman sprung to her feet and distanced herself from her enemies.

"What the…?! How much electricity did you say was in that gum?" asked Blaine.

"...Enough to take down a fully grown elephant," explained Heisenberg. His expression was one of the utmost shock.

"Or maybe it just isn't as cracked up as you make it out to be," replied Britney, who really wasn't in the mood for a fight after being locked up so long.

" _Doctor_ Heisenberg," snarled the good doctor. "And you know nothing about my work, little girl, to be criticizing it. Have you at all considered we aren't in fact dealing with a normal human being? She may not be human at all. I must admit that I'm...a tad bit... _intrigued_ if that's truly the case."

Blaine groaned. "Would you get your priorities straight already?!"

The hooded person zeroed in on Heisenberg, who took humor at how worked up the WHOOP spies were getting.

His voice…

Something about his voice sent stabbing pain through the mysterious woman's skull. She cried out in pain and drew the other's attention.

"P-Pathetic...old timer!"

"Oho. That's an interesting things to say," said Heisenberg. "You there. I desire to run a couple of experiments on you to determine why that gum had no effect on you, yet, judging from the way your fidgeting around, I doubt you're in the mood to comply."

She wasn't. She _was_ keen on charging right at him and tearing him to shreds. Heisenberg wasn't having any of that. He shoved Blaine and Britney in front of him like human shields.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" cried Britney.

Heisenberg replied, "This is more you two's expertise, so…"

"No need to push," said Blaine. "We _do_ owe him one. Britney, let's go!"

"Yes, make yourselves useful and earn those paychecks."

"Do we really have to save _this_ guy?" voiced Britney, her lips coiling.

The WHOOP agents struck in unison. The SOAP spy ducked both their blows and drove her palms into their chins. The two were sent flying through the air, though they flipped and landed on their feet. This was just as their foe aimed a roundhouse kick toward their heads. Blaine and Britney moved back at the last second to dodge, countering by pouncing on the woman and pinning her to the ground. This lasted only a few seconds. Despite their combined strength, she easily overpowered them, tossing Blaine across the room and Britney in the other direction. Both again were able to avoid any serious damage by landing on their feet.

"She's one tough cookie alright," remarked Britney. "I never imagined someone could just toss us around like rag dolls!"

"Now I get it," said Blaine, circling around the target alongside his partner. "This must be the spy Jerry told us about, the one that attacked Sam, Alex, and Clover. If she could handle being attacked three-on-one, then two-on-one must be a joke to her."

"What are you two idling about for? Incapacitate her already so I can begin my experimentation," commanded Heisenberg, pushing up his glasses.

"Who said anything about you getting to do any of your freaky experiments? And if you've got some much free time on your hands that you can order us around, why don't you come over here and help!"

"Just ignore him," said Blaine. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

"I'm starting to see now why Chris _really_ didn't like this guy."

"...Chris?" repeated the SOAP spy. That name. It made her head throb even worse than hearing Heisenberg's words. It was debilitating, forcing her to her knees and making her squeeze her skull in order to drive the unbearable pain away. "Chris? Who? Who is...Chris? T-That name...that name hurts! It hurts! IT HURTS!"

Britney blinked. "D-Did we do something wrong?"

Blaine shook his head. "We haven't laid a finger on her. Doc, any ideas?"

"I may have something in mind." Heisenberg made his way over to the spy in spite Blaine and Britney being pretty sure that was a terrible idea. Nonetheless, the girl was in far too much agony to pay his presence any mind. It gave him ample time to walk around her, studying her like material in his lab. After some time, he returned to Britney's side. "Just as I expected. I should have recognized that venomous tone from the start."

"That wasn't cryptic at all," she said, her remark dripping with sarcasm.

"There is only one person that would dare refer to me as a 'pathetic old timer.'"

"I seriously doubt that, but that still doesn't explain what you're talking about."

"...Remove that spy's hood if you're that curious. All will make sense then."

"...Is it too hard for you to just give us a straight answer?"

Heisenberg pointed behind her. "I'd watch out if I were you."

"Huh? What are you…?"

Gasping, Britney saw a glint of silver and avoided something sharp and pointy that would have left her quite the mess. She wasn't sure where the SOAP spy had gotten it from, but the latter held a lengthy dagger close to her face. Giving Britney no time to get rebalanced, she came in for the kill again. Blaine came to the rescue, kicking her weapon out of her grasp. Though unarmed, she was still a threat, reminding him so by grabbing his face and preparing to drive his skull into the ground.

"A little help here!" he called out as he was lifted into the air like he weighed nothing.

"I'm coming!" replied Britney, soaring toward the SOAP spy. "Eat this!"

Her knee connected right on the bridge of her target's face. The cloaked woman crumbled like a house of cards, landing right at Heisenberg's feet. He didn't flinch, nor did the woman move anymore.

"Good one," he said, nodding Britney's way. "And you've solved the mystery of our enemy spy here while you were at it."

Neither Britney nor Blaine had any clue what he was going on about until they looked down. The SOAP spy's hood had been knocked off during the struggle, and the two, standing there in total shock, weren't sure their eyes were functioning properly.

"It's…!"

"Chris!" cried Britney, who finished Blaine's sentence. "J-Jerry didn't say anything about _this_!"

Heisenberg, crouching down to the unconscious Chris, said, "Hello, Christine. How it warms my heart to see you alive and well. The rumors of your untimely demise were premature it seems. We have much to discuss, so I'm afraid I'm going to need you to accompany me back to my lab."

Breathing softly, Chris was in no position to refuse.

 **END**


	7. (5) HOME INVASION MUCH?

**(5) HOME INVASION MUCH?**

"Phase one is complete. Soon, the end of WHOOP!"

Claw celebrated the downfall of Blaine and Britney with a glass of crisp champagne. His plan, just as he knew it would, had gone off without a hitch. WHOOP would be deprived of two of their best operatives, and Chris would soon be back with WHOOP Island's generator. The last piece of the TIDE puzzle would be acquired. And once the ultimate weapon was complete…

"SOAP will rule all!" Claw proclaimed at the top of his voice. His cat, rudely awoken from its nap, trotted off in disgust. "Prepare yourself, Jerry Lewis! Prepare yourself, WHOOP! Prepare yourself, world!"

He guzzled his drink, finding it as sweet as honey. Still, it paled in comparison to the taste of victory.

"Even Mr. X will be pleased with my efforts. TIDE may have been his idea, but _my_ genius is what will bring it to life! Once it's completed, I will have no use for that cretin. Yes, I believe I'll dispose of him just like I'll do to WHOOP. A fitting punishment for all the grief he's caused me!"

He chuckled to himself, only to discover something fluffy and white about to pounce on him.

"H-Hey! What's the big idea?! Stop it already! Seriously! Cut it out!"

Claw hadn't the slightest clue why his cat was screeching angrily and attempting to poke his eyes out. The fight spilled out of his chair and onto the carpet. Claw didn't fare much better there. His opponent might have been small and cute, but it had a right hook that would be any boxer's envy.

"C-Chill out! I'm sorry! Whatever I did, I'm sorry!" cried Claw, ducking a paw that would have knocked out one of his teeth.

"Claw. I think it's about time you stopped screwing around and gave me another update."

That voice. Both Claw and his cat froze. It was hard to pretend everything was on the up and up when both were bloodied—and littered in scratch marks in Claw's case—but they did just that.

"M-Mr. X! How...erm...lovely to see you again!" Claw scurried back to his chair as fast his legs would allow him. He had already thoroughly embarrassed himself, so he wasn't worried about tripping. He fixed his tie to the best of his ability, though it was pretty much torn to shreds. "A...uh...update you said?"

Mr. X was only a silhouette on the monitor. He shouldn't have been _that_ scary. And yet, Claw found himself unable to stop shaking. His cat, hiding under his desk, felt the same.

"Have you completed TIDE? Time is running short."

"N-Not yet, my liege. Rest assured, however, that my most trusted operative is on her way back from WHOOP Island."

"Ah. The generator. Very good, Claw. You've followed my instructions to the letter. ...For once."

Giddy at the compliment, Claw didn't hear the last part. "Thank you, my liege. I live to serve. Christine should be back some time soon."

He checked his watch. It had been well over five hours since he dispatched Chris to WHOOP Island. She should have already returned. Keeping a straight face in front of Mr. X, Claw panicked internally. The trek back from WHOOP Island _was_ a lengthy one, but for a someone like Christine, it should have been…

"Claw. I'm talking to you."

The person in question stood at attention. "Y-Yes, my liege?"

"I asked you a question. What happened to those two WHOOP agents? The ones stationed at WHOOP Island I told you to eliminate?"

Claw gulped. Mister X being a mind reader was the last thing he needed.

"T-They have been disposed of, of course!" he proclaimed. He hoped the fact he was sweating bullets wouldn't show up too clearly on the other side of the call. "And as for those _other_ three, I have sent Malcolm and Margaret to get them out of our hair once and for all! They _will not_ fail!"

#

"Nobody's home…"

Margaret smacked her lips, blowing a strand of red hair out of her vision. The idea of WHOOP agents hiding under a sofa was a ridiculous prospect. That didn't stop her from checking anway.

"Nope. Nothing," she said, unsurprised. "Did they know we were coming?"

"They go to a college nearby. Malibu University if I remember correctly," said Malcolm. With a flashlight in hand, he busied searching through Sam's room. "They're likely in class right now."

"Figures." Margaret, getting comfortable, plopped onto the sofa. She whistled, admiring just how expansive the penthouse was. "How come these girl scouts get to live here and not in the dorms with the rest of those schmucks? La-di-da."

"Just don't think about taking a dip in the pool outside. We've got work to do."

Rolling her eyes, Margaret jumped to her feet. She supposed her partner had a point. There simply wasn't much to do though when they girls they were sent there to eliminate weren't home.

"Let's just go to their school then and take them out there," she suggested.

Malcolm strolled into the living room with an annoyed look on his face. "...And alert the entire neighborhood of our presence? No. We'll set an ambush for them here. According to our intel, WHOOP has them on hiatus from any missions. They'll come home eventually. Just be patient and wait, Margaret."

'Patient.' Margaret snarled. How she hated that word.

"If you really want to do something useful," said Malcolm, noting her frustration, "you can help me search this house. There might be information about WHOOP somewhere in this clutter. It would be of great value to SOAP."

Margaret replied, "The only thing in this place is fashion tips. Are we _sure_ WHOOP spies live here?"

Ignoring the question, Malcolm went to check another room. He loathed to agree with his partner, but no matter where he looked, all he discovered were accessories, clothing...and more accessories. The place may as well have been a mini shopping mall.

"Besides, why should we bring _Claw_ back anything? It's not like that ingrate could put it to good use," grumbled Margaret.

Malcolm chuckled. "Now _that_ I agree with. Incompetent or not, however, the mission he gave us is still of the utmost importance. Get off that couch already and help me since you want this to be over and done with."

Rolling her eyes, Margaret supposed he had a point. She hopped to her feet and made her way into Clover's room.

"Ugh!" she cried at discovering the place a vivid shade of pink. Her eyes teared up. "Okay, now I _know_ there's no way someone with such a revolting room could be a WHOOP spy!"

She didn't so much as look around as she did toss random items out of her way. Malcolm picked up on all the noise, poking his head into the doorway.

"What are you doing in here? Don't…" He cursed under his breath as he narrowly dodged a few bottles of nail polish. " _Stop_. Making a mess of the place is only going to scream that someone broke in here."

"What does it matter? Didn't we come here specifically to kill them?"

Malcolm's face wrinkled. "...Okay, fair point. Still, you should try to show some restraint."

"Yeah, yeah…"

She waved him off, stumbling upon what she first assumed was a fourth bedroom. However, as her eyes widened, she realized it was instead a treasure trove of clothing.

"T- _This_ is a...closet…?" Her earlier gripping aside, she couldn't resist running over toward a shimmering, red dress. "Cute. This girl might be a WHOOP spy, but she's got one hell of a fashion sense."

She dug further into Clover's closet, intending to take back as much as she could. It wasn't as if the owner would have any use for it once they were eliminated.

"How's it going in here, Margaret? Did you find…?"

Malcolm froze. So did Margaret. She also dropped the bevy of designer outfits in her possession.

Blushing furiously, she stammered, "U-Um…! T-This is…!"

"...I thought I told you not to make a mess of the place."

"S-SHUT UP!"

With a sigh, Malcolm opened a window. "Fine. We'll just say the wind did it."

Margaret grumbled under her breath, too mortified to argue.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the green book under Malcolm's arm.

"A diary. It might have the information we're seeking."

"Really? You're going to go through someone's _diary_? Ha! We undergo years of grueling training...only to do crap like _this_."

Malcolm paid her no mind again, spotting the name 'Sam' on the diary's cover. The lock separating him from its contents proved no obstacle once he cut if off with a laser pen.

"So, anything good?" Margaret asked as he skimmed through the pages.

"Not really. Just a bunch of nonsense any teenage girl would write about."

"I almost feel bad going through this Sam's stuff." Margaret smirked maliciously. " _Almost_."

"Ah…"

"Well, don't leave me in suspense."

"...I thought I told you to search the house."

"Just tell me what's in the stupid diary already!"

"'Chris.' That name pops up quite a bit in these entries."

The mere mention of that name further soured Margaret's mood. "Oh, that _traitor_."

"Indeed. It would be in SOAP's best interest if she too was eliminated. After all, she was the one who took Scar from us, as well as SOAP's chance for world domination." Malcolm slammed the diary shut. "It's worthless after all. I can't tell if these girls are overly cautious...or incredibly foolish. Regardless, let's exercise caution."

"Come on. Even this fashionista's room doesn't have anything threatening. If you ask me, these girls are the very definition of harmless."

Malcolm pointed to the red scarf around Margaret's neck. "Certainly 'fashionable' too, right?"

"I-I thought I told you to shut up already!"

She was about to rip the scarf off when both she and Malcolm grew silent. The front door was being unlocked. They nodded at one another, taking up hiding spots. A trio of giggling voices filled the penthouse as they did.

"Man, I'm _beat_!" Alex whined, plopping down onto the sofa. "That was totally the hardest Puppy Scrubbing 101 class I've ever had."

"You're telling me! I don't know how, but I forgot to finish my history homework today!" Sam exclaimed in a strangely horrified tone. "Do you know how _embarrassing_ it was to be the only one in class who couldn't turn it in?"

"Um...dramatic much?" replied Clover, rolling her eyes. "I so didn't even bother doing it."

"That's because you only ever do your Fashion Design homework. ...Why does that class even _have_ homework?"

"Oh, whatever, Miss Drama Queen. Don't be jealous just because I put the fab in fabulous with my designs." With a haughty laugh, Clover headed toward her room. "After all, my closet is a smorgasbord of...WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CLOSET?!"

Now she was the one sounding like a character in a horror movie.

"What's the matter?!" Sam asked, rushing onto the scene.

Rather than terrified, Clover fumed in anger. "W-Which one of you left the window open?! The wind totally ruined my closet!"

"...Oh," said Alex unemphatically. "So, nothing's wrong then?"

Clover was about five seconds from smacking her. " _Of course_ something is wrong! It's going to take me hours, _hours_ , to rearrange everything! On top of it, the skirt I planned on wearing on my date this Friday is majorly ruined!"

"Wait, it's totally cute!" Alex cried. "This _is_ a catastrophe!"

"I know, right?!"

"Sure, girls." Sam was more preoccupied examining the open window. "I'm sure we locked all the windows and doors before we left. Besides, it's not even that windy."

Something came to her just then. It prompted her to hurry to her own room.

"Where is it?! Where is it?!"

Clover and Alex watched her tear apart her dressers. Soon enough, her room was as messy as Clover's.

"Um...everything alright, Sammy?" asked Clover.

"And here you were making fun of Clover for her clothes being ruined!" said Alex.

"Ah! It's still here!" Sam pulled out her diary rather than an expensive skirt. Much to her relief it remained locked. "For a second there, I thought someone might have broken in here."

"Yeah...me too." Alex sighed and helped herself to a seat on Sam's bed. "Maybe we're just jumpy because we haven't had any missions in awhile."

"True. We haven't heard from Jer either," Clover noted somberly, taking the spot next to Alex. "It's been, like, a week. I hope everything's alright."

"Leave it to a guy not to contact you. Heh…"

Alex's lukewarm joke did little to brighten the mood.

"So...um...I wonder how Chris is doing."

Sam's and Alex's heads shot up due to Clover's sudden question.

"She's...fine," Sam answered quietly. "...Probably. Worrying to death about her wouldn't solve anything. She also wouldn't want us doing it. We need to be ready in case Jerry _does_ get around to contacting us."

"I guess." Alex sighed. "This totally sucks though. I _so_ don't like sitting around and feeling all helpless."

"Let's not then!" A much more chipper Clover wrapped her arm around Alex's shoulder. "Forget about Jer and WHOOP for awhile. If he's so intent on giving us a vacay, I say we head to the Groove and do. Some. _Shopping_!"

Sam thought long and hard about the proposition. Eventually, she smiled. "There _is_ a purse I've been meaning to buy."

"And I haven't had a triple banana and carrot smoothie from Senor Smoothie in ages!"

"...Gross," muttered Clover, sticking out her tongue. "Um, Alex? I think…"

A shrill scream interrupted her. Loud squealing trailed it, squealing that made Alex jump to her feet.

"Oinky! He's in trouble!"

"You can tell from...the squeal alone?" said Sam.

"Of course! Hold on, Oinky! Mama's coming!"

Alex made her way into the living room. Sam and Clover, while not nearly as enthusiastic, were hot on her heels. There were no signs of Oinky, not even a tiny squeal.

Alex, panicking, shouted, "Oinky? Where are you, boy? I've got a treat for you if you come out!"

"G-Get the hell off of me already, you rotten…!"

The Spies looked at one another in confusion. They could hear some kind of commotion but not its origin. That was when they zeroed in on a large closet. It was rocking all about, scaring Alex enough that she hid behind Sam.

"It's _not_ a ghost, Alex." Sam gulped. "...O-Obviously."

"A robber?" suggested Clover.

Sam armed herself with a frying pan. "Whoever it is, they're about to eat a full helping of steel!"

Her brash words aside, she approached the now violently shaking closet with an air of caution. Alex busied gesturing for her to stay away.

"For the last time, Alex, there is no such thing as…!"

The closet door burst open. Besides almost giving Sam a heart attack, it also gave her and the others a clear view of Margaret attempting to fight off Oinky.

"S-Stop it already!" she shouted as she dodged its tongue for dear life. "Ugh! This is _so_ gro-oooooo-oss!"

The sight of her rolling about was both shocking and strangely captivating to Sam, Alex and Clover. It took their brains a number of moments to process the situation.

"...Crap," uttered Margaret, returning the bewildered stares aimed her way. She tossed Oinky inadvertently into Alex's awaiting arms before taking a fighting stance. "So, you've figured out what's going on, WHOOP spies!"

"No," said Sam, still reeling. "We don't have a clue what's happening."

"At least we've found out Oinky is the _best_ guard dog _ever_!" Alex chimed happily as the pig in question licked her face.

"Yeah, if you want a crook licked to death," said Clover. She pointed a stern finger at Margaret, adding, "Now then, who exactly are you? And why are you wearing my favorite scarf?!"

Sidestepping the question, Margaret said, "Unfortunately, ladies, discovering me will only lead to your…!"

The Spies pounced on her and pinned her to the floor in the blink of an eye.

"Monologuing? Really?" Sam sighed and shook her head. "Is this your first day on the job? Now then, who are you?!"

"A-As if I'd talk, wretched WHOOP spies!" a squirming Margaret snapped. "Let me go already!"

"Caught already, Margaret? You're making Claw look competent. Next time I tell you to hide, pick a less mundane spot."

By the time the Spies spotted Malcolm coming around the corner, it was too late. With the flick of a switch, he caused a red barrier to spawn around them. Their first instinct was to pound on it in order to escape. That got them nowhere fast.

"Setting up that trap earlier proved worthwhile after all," a grinning Malcolm noted.

"Oh, what a cheap trick!" Alex declared. "Do you two just get all your stuff from 'How to Be A Baddie 101?!'"

Malcolm smirked a bit more. "Perhaps. You'll find my tactics far more effective than my bumbling partner's. Then again, I suppose I have to give her credit for drawing you fools out."

"...I'm standing right here, you know." Getting up off the floor, a bitter Margaret wiped her face clean. "Don't think I'm thanking you for bailing me out there."

"Heh. You admitted I saved you. That's good enough."

"W-Why you little…!"

"I don't mean to interrupt your lover's quarrel," said Sam, "but what exactly have you trapped us in? And who _are_ you people?"

"Whatever this thingy is, it's a killer on my complexion!" Clover fanned herself, sweating like a stuffed pig. "I so already had a tan today, you creeps!"

"I can assure you a sunburn is the least of your concern," Malcolm stated. He juggled a remote control up and down. "Who we are is of no importance. All that matters is the three of you are about to meet your untimely ends."

"Oh, great! More creeps from SOAP!" said Clover.

"Indeed!" Margaret proclaimed, cackling. "And the whole of WHOOP is soon to follow you girls in being destroyed!"

Malcolm shot her and her loose lips an irritated look. "...The energy cage you are trapped in cannot be broken from either inside or out. Try as you might, you would only be wasting your strength. More importantly, it is rigged to explode in fifteen minutes."

The Spies couldn't hide their shock at this development.

"However," Malcolm continued, "I'm willing to offer you three a deal. While you may be enemies, you are more useful to me alive than dead. Give me information on WHOOP. Provided you do so, I will free you."

"Hey! That wasn't part of the plan!" Margaret informed him.

"Your time to decide is short, WHOOP spies."

It wasn't much of a debate. Neither Sam, Alex, or Clover had any plans on selling WHOOP out.

"Which means we need to figure out how to get out of this thing...and fast," said Sam. "I don't know about you girls, but I'd prefer not being chunks all over the living room floor."

"He said this thing is unbreakable though," Alex reminded her.

"As if!" snapped Clover. "Why should we believe anything a SOAP spy says?!"

"Don't be like that, ladies," said Malcolm. "Besides, you have no reason to stand by Jerry Lewis and his worthless organization any longer. WHOOP Island has fallen. SOAP is also mere days away from completing the ultimate weapon."

"Y-You're bluffing…" replied a gulping Sam.

"Then again, it's not like we've heard anything from Jer as of late," noted Clover.

Alex added, "Um...w-what if this guy _isn't_ lying?"

"Good! It's starting to sink into those thick skulls of yours!" said Margaret, laughing at their expense again. "Do yourselves a favor and _submit_."

As much as she was having fun, the Spies not answering her demands put a damper on it.

"This isn't a game!" she roared. "You brats are really going to die at this rate! And for what?! Well, time's ticking!"

She tapped a finger against an imaginary watch, her lips coiling into a sadistic smile.

#

Chris' eyes shot open. The first thing they rested on was Heisenberg, who stood to her right.

"Greetings, Christine. I'm glad we've gotten a chance to talk again."

"Hiya, Chris!" said Tabitha Conner, standing in the middle. "Hope you're nice and comfy. Want me to fluff your pillow? Oh, you don't have a pillow..."

The cheerful comments led Chris to realize she couldn't move her arms and legs. Metal bindings were the culprit, keeping her secured to a vertical table. Quickly giving up on escape, her eyes wandered over to the person on her left.

"Hello, Christine," said Jerry Lewis. Unlike the others, he was far more somber in his greeting. "I truly didn't believe the rumors of you being alive. Still, it's...hard to argue when the truth is staring me in the face."

Chris paid his worlds little mind, instead searching about the room.

"This is WHOOP's main HQ, my dear," said Heisenberg. "I assure you the equipment at WHOOP Island was more than sufficient enough to study her, Jerry."

"We aren't 'studying' her," Jerry argued. "She isn't some animal to be dissected in a lab. We're merely monitoring her for any abnormal behavior."

"Call it whatever you'd like if it helps you sleep better at night. If anything, this is an interrogation of an enemy spy. We should sedate her at the very least. I've seen her in action."

Jerry eyed Tabitha, replying, "Don't you have any faith in your own creation? She can restrain Chris if need be, but as I've already stated, we are not treating her like some kind of twisted experiment."

"Speaking of my inventions…" Heisenberg observed Chris attempt to free her arm again. A small jolt went through it, stopping her in her tracks. "I'm afraid those electro bindings were made specifically to keep you detained, my dear. I recommend you not moving anymore unless you desire to be fried to a crisp. Then again, you would make a far more obedient subject being totally numb."

"Are you done?"

"Are _you_? Bringing her here was a mistake. Even with Tabitha and those bindings keeping her from ripping our heads off, I have a bad feeling about this."

"The situation is under control," Jerry assured him. "I didn't recall asking the advice of a former criminal."

"Oh? If you desire to squabble over past mistakes…"

"Are you guys arguing?" asked Tabitha. "Because that's bad. Very bad!"

"That soft heart of yours," said Heisenberg, "will be the death of you, Jerry Lewis."

"Uh oh. Father is mad..." mumbled Tabitha, biting her fingernails.

"Don't mind him," said Jerry. He turned back to Chris, ready to tend to the matter at hand. "How are you feeling? I don't suppose you can understand what I'm saying."

He thought not in light of Chris merely glaring.

"What in the world has SOAP done to you?"

He studied her various modifications and became sickened the longer he did. It was like someone had striven to make her more machine than human.

"This isn't the work of an amatuer. Certainly, that Claw fellow isn't capable of such feats," said Heisenberg.

"For once, we agree on something," replied Jerry. "Not that it's a subject to celebrate about."

"Jerry...Lewis."

Chris' tone was weak and barely audible. Even so, it gave Jerry a start.

"So, you _can_ hear us then? Good. I want you to…"

"RA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AH!"

Jerry wasn't startled so much as scared half to death when Chris began thrashing about.

"JERRY...LEWI-IIIIIIIIIIII-IIS!"

"Tabitha, restrain her before she hurts herself even more!"

His assistant got to work at once. She held Chris down, though she marveled at her having to use almost all of her strength to do it.

"Whoa! You're pretty strong, eh?" she chimed as Chris continued to howl. "Be a good girl now."

"Good heavens." Jerry's hand shot over his mouth. He felt ill. "Christine…"

"This isn't the time to lose your nerve," Heisenberg advised.

"Y-Yes. You...are correct." Taking a deep breath, Jerry steeled himself. At the very least, Chris had been reduced to muttering his name over and over. "I promise you, Christine. I will find a way to return you to normal. I owe Nathaniel and Diane that much."

"Assuming that's possible."

"...I kindly ask you refrain from expressing such opinions in my presence, Doctor Heisenberg."

"Play naive if you want. I was going to suggest we question her for information on SOAP, though it is clear she isn't in the mood for conversation. How about it, Christine?"

Without warning, she spat on him. He blinked.

"...And here I presumed she didn't recognize me." Heisenberg cleaned his face with the aid of a handkerchief. Tabitha, meanwhile, had to turn her head to hide her giggling. "What now, Jerry?"

"Indeed. At the very least, with Christine here, SOAP has lost one of their strongest pieces."

"There still remains their supposed ultimate weapon. We should use this opportunity to go on the offensive."

"No, we know anything about it. We could be walking into a trap. We've yet to track down Claw's whereabouts as well."

"Didn't I say this isn't the time to lose your nerve?"

"It has nothing to do with nerves! We've no clue how far along SOAP's mysterious weapon is or even something as basic as its specifications!"

"If it was close to completion, SOAP would have already employed it. Since when have any of their actions been the definition of 'subtle?' The very safety of the world, one Christine here tried sacrificing her life for, is being threatened. This is the _wrong_ time to be cowardly, Jerry."

That was going too far. Jerry, beside himself with anger, answered, "And playing right into the enemy's hand is your idea of 'going on the offensive?!' On the contrary, we should be playing it safe now more than ever!"

"No. The last time WHOOP sat on its hands and gave SOAP the opening move, it led to complete and utter disaster. Are you _that_ intent on repeating the mistakes of the past?"

To that, Jerry had no answer. Heisenberg was spot on...and he knew it. He clenched his fists.

"You know, we're all on the same side," Tabitha was quick to remind the two. "You can squabble until the cows come home, but don't you think fighting like this is exactly what SOAP wants us to do? Let's be nice to one another!"

Both Jerry and Heisenberg stood in disbelief. If _Tabitha_ was acting as the voice of reason, they truly were lost.

"'Being nice' is the reason SOAP was able to manipulate Christine. It's also the reason Scar wasn't taken care of long, _long_ ago. I'm sorry, my precious daughter, but 'being nice' isn't the solution to our problems. If WHOOP had merely taken care of Christine when they had the chance..."

A punch to the jaw interrupted his speech. It also knocked him off his feet. Tabitha made haste to rush to his side, though he focused more on the pure disgust on Jerry's face.

"I've made a lot of mistakes over the years in terms of SOAP. Christine, however, isn't one of them. I will do a lot worse if you dare say such word about her again."

The bold claim stuck with Heisenberg. He could think of nothing else. In spite of Tabitha fretting over him, he stood, even smirking.

"You have me curious, Jerry Lewis. How far will that soft heart of your take you? While I don't understand it one bit, you have the same look in your eyes this foolish girl did before she went off to face Scar. Mysterious indeed."

"Yes, I too am curious. Then again, I already know the answer to such ridiculousness."

Though the words had come out of her mouth, it without a doubt wasn't Chris voice everyone heard. Their heads shot over to her in time to catch her laughing like a madwoman.

"W-What is this…?" Jerry knew that voice. He could never forget it so long as he lived. He backpedaled as a wave of dread swept over him. "It _can't_ be!"

"Oh, I'm afraid so, Jerry!" Chris proclaimed, cackling even harder. "You know, you really made things too easy. You were right, Heisenberg. For once in your pathetic life, you were right. Jerry really _is_ too soft hearted for his own good."

Chris' body started to glow. Everyone shielded their eyes, with Heisenberg's shrinking once he realized what was happening.

"Get down! She's going to self detonate!"

There was no time. If what he was saying was true, Jerry knew they were already as good as dead.

That was when Tabitha darted in front of him and Heisenberg, her arms outstretched.

"Stand back!"

"W-What are you doing, Tabitha?"

The android nodded back at Jerry, stating, "Looks like you won't have to give me a raise after all...Boss."

"TABITHA, DON'T!"

An explosion rocked the lab, reducing most of it to ash. Smoke billowed out of a gigantic hole in the building. It could be seen for miles. Panicked people walking the streets or in cars stopped to point the spectacle out.

For those inside the lab, it was more of a hell. Jerry, coughing, pushed a piece of rubble off himself. Other than a number of cracked ribs, he quickly assessed he was okay. He spotted Heisenberg trapped under another pile of debris and rushed to the good doctor's aid.

"Are you alright?"

He assessed Heisenberg had to be in light of the latter chuckling. "...So, Jerry Lewis, you weren't the only one played like a fiddle."

"Don't speak! We need to get you to a doctor!"

"Don't fret over me. I...believe we have more important matters to tackle."

"Yes, like how an android managed to slip past us!"

"I'm curious about that as well. Such a clever trick. Even so, SOAP...or anyone for that matter…" Heisenberg grunted, grasping at his right side. "Something might be broken after all. Anyway, I should have noticed it when we brought Christine here. No, when she was first captured. When did they make the switch?"

"Where's Tabitha?"

Where indeed. Jerry's inquisition caused Heisenberg to look around frantically. His daughter was nowhere to be found amongst the blazing flames and blackened walls.

"Tabitha! Where are you, Tabitha?!"

"S-She…"

"Don't you _dare_ say it! My precious invention...my precious _daughter_ couldn't possibly be…!"

"Oh? To think I'd hear such bellyaching over a piece of machinery."

It made little sense to them, but Jerry and Heisenberg were sure the sound of squeaking wheels were inching toward them. It grew louder every second. So did their apprehension. Soon, a pair of figures appeared from the thick smoke. One was Chris, the _real_ Chris. It was the person sitting in a wheelchair she pushed that gave Jerry and Heisenberg pause.

"What's the matter?" Scar asked, clasping his hands. "...You both look like you've seen a ghost."

#

"Don't panic girls. Everything is going to be alright."

Sam's suggestion fell on deaf ears. The very first thing Alex did was panic, panic _big time_.

"What are you saying?! We're totally going to _explode_ at this rate!"

Screaming wasn't enough. She flailed her arms about too. Clover had to duck to avoid being smacked in the face.

"You can be spared from such a fate," Malcolm announced, "by simply talking. WHOOP will be history shortly. There is little point in you sticking your necks out for a dying organization. Spies of your caliber would be better served working for SOAP."

"What is this, Malcolm?" Margaret asked. "Why are you trying to get these disgraces on our side?! The thought of working with people from WHOOP makes me want to hurl!"

"Fine with us!" Clover crossed her arms. "It's not like we'd wanna work with you _losers_ either!"

"Sorry, but we don't plan on ratting out Jerry either!" voiced Sam with vigor.

Malcolm shook his head. "So be it then. I don't like getting my hands dirty, but you girls have left me no choice."

" _That's_ more like it. Don't be so hasty though. I want to see the terror forming on their faces when they realize how screwed they are," a gleeful Margaret said.

"Twisted much?" said Clover.

"She's nuttier than my Grandma's fruitcake," added Alex.

"Crazy aside…" Sam eyed the remote in Malcolm's grasp. "We're running out of time. We need to find some way to get that remote. It's our only option."

Clover replied, "How? It's over there and _we're_ totally stuck in here."

"What are you girls muttering about?" Helping herself to a seat on the sofa, Margaret kept a careful eye on the Spies. "If you're going to talk, tell us about WHOOP."

"For trashing WHOOP so much, you two sure want to know a lot about it," Alex remarked.

Sam thought so as well. Her face lit up as a plan started to take shape in her mind.

"Yeah. You guys are about to destroy WHOOP, right? The way you talk, maybe SOAP isn't as invincible as you claim. That's why you need intel," she theorized.

"Hey! Shut your mouth!" Margaret cried.

Sam did nothing of the sort. "You know, it's only a matter of time before SOAP loses again."

"...What was that?"

"You heard me. You have an even less competent guy in charge this time. Even if you take us out of the picture, there'll be someone around to stop you. Then again, if the other SOAP operatives are like _you_ , they'll be too busy stealing scarves to take over the world."

That was the last straw. Margaret rolled up her sleeves and marched up to Sam, readying to tear her head off. For once, the barrier worked to her disadvantage. She could do nothing but grit her teeth as Sam blew a raspberry.

"Calm down." Malcolm put a firm hand on her shoulder. "She's baiting you. Can't you even figure that much out on your own? She wants you to do something stupid, giving them a change at escaping."

A snarling Margaret snapped, "Don't _you_ start too!"

"Darn it! So close…" Sam smacked her lips. "That guy is sharp alright."

"Whoa, Sammy. I didn't think you were so devious," noted Clover.

"What now?" asked Alex. "We don't even have any gadgets on us."

"I doubt any would even be useful in sort of situation," groaned Sam.

"I'm going to give you three one last chance." Malcolm held up the remote, a silent reminder it was their sole option. "It's illogical for you to continue to resist. It's obvious you've been defeated."

"That's the deal with you SOAP spies. When the going gets tough, you quit," said Sam. "But _we're_ different! It doesn't matter how bleak things look! We won't give up until the bitter end!"

The conviction in her words threw Malcolm for a loop. His gaze moved to the floor, his expression wracked with indecision.

"I told you not to bother," said Margaret. "Get rid of them already, Malcolm!"

"I don't need _you_ to tell me that. I-I…"

Something small, hard, and fast hit Malcolm in the wrist. It caused him to drop the remote. Grunting in anguish, he caught wind of his attacker.

"Don't move," Dyson Glee told the SOAP spies. He held a handful of marbles and was ready to use another. "These Subsonic Separating Marbles can destroy flesh just as good as lead. Man, that Heisenberg sure does come up with the strangest inventions."

"Who the hell are _you_?" asked Margaret.

"Obviously someone from WHOOP if he's threatening us," said Malcolm. He also knew Dyson's threat was genuine. He could hardly feel his wrist.

Margaret cracked her knuckles. "Correction—he's another face to stomp."

She took a step forward. That was when Dyson fired another marble. It landed at her feet, leaving a smoldering hole in the wooden flooring.

" _Don't_ move!" Malcolm screeched. "He really _will_ kill you!"

"You should listen to your boyfriend there." Dyson juggled the marbles in his hand, giving the SOAP operatives a venomous glare. "Now then, let's _talk."_

"D-Damn you, WHOOP scum!" Margaret hated feeling so helpless. "What would we possibly want to talk about with the likes of you?!"

"What...is going on?"

Sam might have been watching the proceedings, yet, she couldn't make heads or tails of them.

"I think…the biggest hottie at Mali-U is...totally saving us…" Clover answered breathlessly.

"Am I actually seeing this? Somebody pinch me," said Alex. "Dyson...a _WHOOP_ spy?"

The three paused. Then, in unison, they shouted, "WHA-AAAAA-AAAT?!"

"Hello, ladies." Dyson's signature smile blinded the Spies, making them sigh in pure delight. "Sorry for being late. I'll have you free in a bit. Allow me to deal with your unwanted guests first."

He might have spent too much time chatting. Malcolm, seeing an opening, was seconds away from taking his head off with a roundhouse kick. Yelping, he used both hands to block it, though this left him open to Margaret's fist. He moved his head to the left, countering by first shoving Malcolm's leg back and then grabbing Margaret's arm. He tossed her across the room, though like a cat, she landed on her feet.

"Oh boy." Dyson whipped his head about. The sudden battle left him at a disadvantage. Margaret cut off his front, whereas Malcolm could sneak up from behind.

"Not bad, WHOOP scum," said Margaret. "But...not good enough!"

"You fight like an amatuer," Malcolm stated. "Just who are you?"

"Well, you got the amatuer part right." Dyson chuckled. "I guess I shouldn't have lowered my guard, even for a second."

"Indeed."

The SOAP spies circled their prey. Dyson, meanwhile, held his ground. He still held the marbles Heisenberg gave him, and his enemies knew it.

"No hasty moves, Margaret. You wouldn't want to lose a limb."

"Shut up, Malcolm! I can take care of myself!"

"Uh oh, girls. Dyson might be in trouble!" cried Alex.

Clover, pounding on the energy cage, shouted, "We've gotta help! Even with those marble thingies, it's still two-on-one!"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Sam lamented the fallen remote being so close and yet so far. "Wa-aa-ah!"

A marble gave her a fright, though it struck the barrier rather than her.

"What the…?" she said, peering at a small hole in her prison. It closed seconds later. "Hey! I got it!"

"Whoa there!" A backflipping Dyson avoid a pair of kicks. "For all the arguing you do, you two make a good team."

The SOAP spies unloaded on him, throwing limbs at every conceivable angle. Dyson himself wasn't sure how he was managing to dodge.

"Oy, I feel like I've awoken a pair of sleeping beasts!"

"Leave him alone, you creeps!" Alex screamed.

"At least don't aim for his beautiful face!" added Clover. "What? I could so live with broken bones, but a broken face?"

"Save your skewed priorities, Clover! I've got an idea!" Sam announced. "Dyson! I need you to shoot those marbles at the barrier!"

"Kind of busy here!"

Dyson took a shot to his 'beautiful face.'

"Go down already!" Margaret declared, landing a right hook.

"Game over, WHOOP spy."

Malcolm drove his knee into Dyson's stomach. The blow sucked all the air out of the latter's lungs. It also left him open to Margaret kicking him in the mouth. The combined assault sent him writhing on the floor.

"Idiot!" Margaret planted her foot into his chest. His cries of agony were music to her ears. "That's what you get for challenging SOAP! What were you thinking?"

"You know…" Dyson hacked up a few laughs. "...I don't know anymore."

#

"...How?! How could you possibly be alive?!"

It was like a bad joke. Jerry wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"You look so pale, Jerry. Is old age finally getting to you?" Scar rested his hand on his fist and soaked the moment in. "You ask how I can still be alive, but didn't Christine here survive? There should have been little doubt I could as well."

Jerry snarled. He considered the possibility, as slim as it was. He simply never allowed himself to believe it. Maybe it was out of fear. Perhaps it was no more than foolishness, the type Heisenberg had been striving to yank out of his head.

"It seems you've made yet another critical error," Scar stated. "A pity. All that intellect wasted on a pathetic being like you. No matter. If it makes you feel better, you can clearly see I didn't come out of that plane crash unscathed."

He directed a finger at his wheelchair.

"You think your legs is fair payment for you crimes?!"

"And what about _your_ crimes, Jerry? You know, I hadn't planned on reuniting with you so soon, but you just _had_ to find it in the goodness of your heart to take Chris in. Or, who you _thought_ was Chris. I had to strike."

"So, that really was an android," mused Heisenberg. "When did SOAP make the switch?"

"SOAP had nothing to do with it." Scar chuckled. "I needn't explain it by now, but this isn't something the likes of Claw could have pulled off. Like WHOOP, SOAP believes I've met my untimely demise. I've used that to my advantage."

"You haven't changed, Scar. Still using others, even your own allies, as tools," said Jerry bitterly.

"But the thing is, Jerry, everyone _is_ nothing more than tools for my use...and disposal. And in my excitement to meet you, I've failed to clarify that I go by not Scar but Mister X these days."

"Of course. It all makes sense now. _You've_ been running SOAP from the shadows, not Claw!"

"Congratulations. You've figured me out. ...If only you had done so _before_ TIDE neared its completion. That is the name of the ultimate weapon. That is the name of your destruction. That is the name of _my revenge_."

"So, Claw was only a puppet? He had no grander role?" Heisenberg inquired. "I'm failing to see the logic in not simply revealing yourself sooner."

"My name has been... _tarnished_ by the events of the past. I installed Claw as the new face of SOAP, someone the world would be more willing to accept. Of course, he failed even in that simple role."

"You still don't get it, Scar! Regardless of who is in charge, the world would never accept the rule of your vile organization!" snapped Jerry.

"...Like always, I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree. Christine."

The person in question stepped forward. By the time Jerry readied himself for an attack, she was already too close for comfort. Driving her knuckles into his gut, she sent him flying across the room. She didn't intend to rest, setting her sights on Heisenberg.

"You're ever the thorn in my side it seems, Christine," the good doctor said as she slowly walked toward him, her heels clacking with every step. "I'm well aware you've been brainwashed. ...Even so, I would be lying if I said I didn't plan on getting revenge for my precious Tabitha."

The piece of Everlasting Shock Gum he had been chewing on came in handy. He spat it onto Chris' leg. Electricity coursed through her being, and she filled the burning room with a scream of anguish.

"Sorry, Christine. It's nothing personal. Now, I can focus on…"

The most the Everlasting Shock Gum had done was taken the wind out of its intended victim.

"Impressive," said Heisenberg. This was in spite of the greater sense of apprehension he felt. "So, not even I can stop you, Christine. You really are a stubborn girl."

"Give it up, Heisenberg. Your knowledge of robotics has always paled in the face of mine." Scar wheeled himself past the good doctor. He didn't spare the man so much as a glance. "The Christine that I spent thousands of dollars modifying wouldn't be defeated by one of _your_ paltry gadgets."

"D-Damn you…!"

"Leave these two be for now, Christine. We can destroy them at our leisure. For now, you have another job, don't you?"

She did, hence why she sprang to her feet.

"H-Hold on a moment, Chris!" Jerry spoke before she could sprint away. He hadn't put much faith in his remark, though much to his surprise, Chris seemed to oblige him by stopping. "I-I...know the _real_ you is still in there, the very same girl who risked her life to put a stop to Scar's ambitions! You're stronger than this! No matter what he's done to you, you vowed you would no longer allow him to control you!"

There was no doubt in his mind. Chris' expression wracked itself in confusion. His words had gotten through.

But just as Jerry readied to celebrate, Chris ran away, vanishing down a corridor. Jerry's heart nearly broke in two.

"C-Christine…"

"What a rousing speech! Your speaking skills haven't dulled, Jerry!" Scar couldn't contain his laughter. The scene unfolding before him eclipsed even his wildest fantasies. "However, did you think mere words could break my genius? Christine has shown that, just like in the past, she is fully dedicated to SOAP's cause. Even now, she makes a useful pawn."

"Useful indeed, and yet you sent her off to do who knows what. What exactly are you plotting?" said Heisenberg.

"You will see in good time. You all will. For now, simply sit back...and enjoy the fireworks."

"W-Wait!" It hit Heisenberg like a truck. He cursed himself for not putting it together sooner. "So _that's_ the reason you wanted us to capture Christine! You wanted to repeat that stunt from WHOOP Island! W-Which means…!"

"Too little, too late, Doctor. But indeed. You've caught me. I require the nuclear power reactor from this building to complete TIDE. As unlikely as it was, I considered Chris failing to take the one from WHOOP Island. Presuming she was captured, she would likely be brought _here_. It's always important to have an ace in the hole, you know. Now then, I'd like to take a trip, gentlemen. Won't you come along?"

It wasn't an option. Heisenberg found himself being snatched off the ground, the culprit's immense strength nearly tearing off his arm.

"Up and at 'em! This isn't the time to be a sleepyhead!"

Tabitha, alive and well, gave him the sweetest smile she could muster. Joy was the very last emotion Heisenberg felt upon looking at his daughter.

"I-Impossible! This...can't be!"

"Yes. I'm afraid your precious Tabitha works for _me_ ," Scar informed him. "She always has."

#

With Dyson out of the picture, Malcolm returned his full and undivided attention to the trapped WHOOP spies.

"Five minutes, ladies," he informed them, holding up the same number of fingers. "I'm afraid your friend is going to die along with you. The blast will be more than enough to level this entire penthouse."

"Um...girls, I know I'm totally restating the obvious," said Alex, "but we need a plan _now_!"

"Ugh! This sucks! You're so not even giving us a chance to fight!" said Clover. "Are you a real man or what?!"

"Unlike Margaret, I'm afraid provocation doesn't work on me," Malcolm replied. "You girls sealed your own fate. No wonder WHOOP is about to go under."

"Bye bye!" chimed Margaret with an equally sarcastic wave. "We've got the destruction of WHOOP to take care of, so…"

"Oh, whatever. The only reason SOAP has gotten so far is because of Chris."

The room grew quiet, _uncomfortably_ quiet. It wasn't solely due to Sam sounding so calm but cocky. Margaret looked like she had seen a ghost.

"...You wanna repeat that, little girl?

"You heard me. Chris is your ace in the hole? More like the crutch that's gotten you cowards this far."

"We don't need the help of a dirty, rotten traitor!"

"Calm yourself, Margaret," cautioned Malcolm.

"I _am_ calm! I'm just trying to…!"

Sam wasn't done. "Can't you do anything with your own hands? You know, if they had sent Chris here instead of you two, we really would have been finished. As it is…"

Like a bullet out of a gun, Margaret ran up to Sam, honestly frightening the latter.

"Oh _yeah_? Okay! Since you want to die so badly, how about I crush you with my own hands?!" She spotted something to increase the fun. Cracking a smirk, she picked up Dyson's fallen marbles. "What irony. Killed by your own gadgets!"

"H-Hold on, Margaret! That's what she wants you to…!"

Dozens of marbles had already hit the energy cage by the time Malcolm figured out what was going on. A huge flash of light forced the SOAP spies to shield their eyes.

"...Dammit."

While he was irate, Malcolm also wasn't surprised to see Sam, Alex, and Clover freed from their prison.

"Thanks for the assist!" said Sam with a wink.

"W-Wha…?!" Margaret blinked over and over as if the scene in front of her would change. "How did they…?!"

"Those marbles," said a snarling Malcolm, "they disrupted the barrier's energy. One alone likely would have done no good, but you throwing them all at once...that's a different story."

Margaret's eyelid jerked. She couldn't believe it. She _wouldn't_.

"Who _are_ you?" Malcolm asked Sam. "To not only figure out those marbles were your only salvation but to also gode your opponent into doing all the work for you…!"

The WHOOP spies surrounded their SOAP counterparts. Margaret, still in utter shock, was even more bewildered at how the tides had been completely turned.

"You've got a date with my fist, Miss Loudmouth!" Clover declared.

"I usually don't enjoy beating up baddies," Alex pounded her fist into her other hand, leaving no doubt in mind what she had planned for her soon-to-be victims, "but I'll make an exception for _you_!"

Sam pointed a stern finger at Malcolm, who jumped. "You asked who we are, right? It's not that complicated. We're _WHOOP_ spies!"

"WHOOP...spies…beating us? Impossible!"

"Looks like your girlfriend over there isn't the only hothead!"

Malcolm clenched his teeth. Like Margaret, he was unable to accept the circumstances for what they were.

"It's time for _you two_ to talk!" said Sam.

"Ha! Forget it!" said Margaret. "No matter what you do, we'll _never_ utter a single word!"

#

"Okay, okay! We'll talk! _Please_ stop hitting me in the face!"

Dyson was left in awe at Margaret being reduced to a sniveling, bloodied mess. Malcolm didn't fare much better. Sam finished tying the two up and wiped her hands.

"There," she said with a smile. "Still want to fight?"

"N-No, thank you," mumbled Malcolm, nursing a bloodied nose.

Margaret, sniffling, added, "Y-You didn't have to be so rough on us!"

" _That's_ for going through my stuff!" cried Clover.

"Phew!" Alex was all smiles now. "That felt really good!"

"T-Take it easy, girls. You're beginning to sound like all the baddies we take down," warned Sam.

"Impressive as always, ladies. You three never fail to take my breath away."

Sam, Alex, and Clover swooped upon Dyson at once, unwilling to share his flawless smile.

"Sorry I wasn't much use," he added. "Guess I should've thought things over before rushing into the fray. I learned a lot watching you girls though, especially you, Sam. That was some quick thinking there!"

"I-It was nothing…"

Laughing like an idiot, a blushing Sam didn't notice Clover and Alex debating on strangling her.

"Don't get _too_ big a head, Sammy," said Clover. "Someone might _pop_ it."

"Wait, how did you become a WHOOP spy, Dyson?" asked Alex. "You…?"

"M-Mind if I sit down?" Dyson, grimacing, helped himself to a spot on the sofa. "I...got banged up more than I'd like to admit."

The girls swarmed him again, making him chuckle.

"I'm fine," he assured them. "Still, this is no time to laugh. While I'd like to explain things clearly to you gals, we don't have much time. I don't know about you three, but I've lost all communications with WHOOP."

As shocking as the news was to his fellow WHOOP spies, Margaret cackled in a manner that suggested she was already filled in on current affairs.

"You may have won the battle, but it's SOAP who's going to win the war!"

"Oh, be quiet already." Clover hit her atop the head. "Nobody was talking to you."

"I-I'm sorry! Lay off me already! That _really_ hurts!"

"I'm not sure what's going on, but her claim is likely more than brash talk," said Dyson. "You three should get going to WHOOP. I might be banged up, but I can take care of our SOAP guests."

"I wonder about that," said Malcolm. "Maybe something _has_ happened. If so, perhaps it's too late for you to do a thing."

Alex whacked him with a rolled up magazine. "Nobody asked you."

He grumbled under his breath but otherwise complied.

"You know more than you want to let on. Why not fill us in?" suggested Sam.

Malcolm chose not to reply.

Margaret, on the other hand, blared, "Save it, brat! You're wasting your breath! Beat us up all you like! We will _never_ betray SOAP!"

"SOAP, huh?" Malcolm shook his head. "...Is the SOAP of today even worth all this trouble?"

Margaret blinked. "What's...gotten into you?"

"Think about it. We're a shell of our former selves. No, even worse. How I long for the days when the might Scar led us toward victory. Now that Claw is running the show...I don't see much of a future for us."

He leered up at the WHOOP spies. The conviction etched into each of their faces made him nod.

"I'm...beginning to understand how even Scar lost to you girls. Even when things seemed their bleakest, you didn't give up. I confused your resolve with stubborness, stupidity even. That's why we lost. ...It's the same for that traitor. That's why I can't stand her. She has the same eyes as you three, the same resolve."

"...And where is Chris now?" Sam asked.

"Malcolm! You aren't seriously going to…!"

"That girl is likely at your main base. If you want to save her, then you three had best get going as soon as possible. SOAP is about begin the final stages of our plan."

"Come on." Margaret's tone was dejected, desperate even. "Don't...say anymore. You'll be a traitor too at this rate."

Malcolm closed his eyes. He might not have said anything, yet, she could tell he was alright with such a fate.

"You heard the man. Get going," said Dyson. "Sorry, but it looks like I need a bit more training before I'm ready to save the day. I'll leave it to the _real_ Super Spies."

Sam, Alex, and Clover required no more convincing. All except Sam ran out of the penthouse without a moment's delay.

"...Thanks."

Sam gave Malcolm a grateful nod and then went on her way as well.

"I guess I really am a traitor," he said moments.

"No," Margaret argued. "...You're just hopeless. Then again, so am I. I guess we'll just have to be hopeless together."

"...I'd like that."

#

Leaving a hallway full of fallen and groaning agents in her wake, Chris proceeded into the bowels of WHOOP. It wouldn't be long until she reached her objective. She encountered no more resistance as she trekked her way into the heart of the building, a strange fact in light of how much trouble she had fighting her way through beforehand. Her only foes were a pair of thick, metal doors. Even they posed no challenge; she ripped open a hole big enough for her to squeeze through. Total darkness awaited her on the other side, save for the faint glow of a nuclear reactor in the center of the room. Her footsteps bounced off the walls as she trekked to claim her prize.

That was when all the lights flickered on.

"Jerry was right on the money as usual," remarked Britney.

"Yep. She came alright," added Blaine. "How's it going, Chris? You haven't forgotten about us already, have you?"

"Sorry, but we're here to stop you! We'd rather not have to fight you again, but if that's what it takes, then get ready!"

Saying nothing, Chris charged at them.

"Yep. I knew it'd come to this," Blaine groaned.

Britney replied, "She never was one for conversation."

They already knew to take extreme caution with Chris. That was why they scattered and forced her to focus on only one of them. She chose Britney, much to the latter's displeasure. Blaine wasn't even given a chance to make a surprise attack like he and Britney planned. His partner was too busy ducking and dodging for her life.

"Remember who you are already, Chris!" Britney said in the midst of blocking a stiff kick. Her efforts were reward by a knee to the stomach.

"Britney!" Blaine had no time to check on her. Chris closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye. "We're _not_ who you should be fighting, Chris! Open your eyes!"

A leg sweep knocked him off his feet. The next thing he knew, Chris had her fingers around his throat. She began squeezing the life out of him. His scratching and clawing did little good.

"C-Chris…" he choked out. "This is only helping SOAP! It's only helping Scar!"

Chris' grip loosened. She froze. The opening gave Blaine the room to toss her off of him and across the room. Landing on her feet, a moaning Chris clutched the sides of her head.

"S-Scar…? Wha…? G-Gah! It...hurts! IT HU-UUUUUUUUUUU-RTS!"

"W-What did you do?" Britney asked, limping over to her partner.

Blaine noticed her holding a hand on her chest. "You alright?"

"...No. She cracked a few of my ribs. Still, she's clearly in far more pain."

"Y-Yeah…"

Though gasping for air, Chris straightened up and seemed to compose herself.

"What now?" a cringing Britney inquired.

"We just have to push a bit more!" Blaine roared. "I know the _real_ Chris is in there somewhere! My words got through to her! Now's not the time for us to be shaking in our boots!"

"Right! If she gets this generator, it's all over!"

"Come on, Chris! We aren't losing this time!"

Chris, still holding her head, quietly uttered, "Accursed...WHOOP spies!"

 **END**


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